Stars and Other Precious Metals
by Deus Vult Lumine
Summary: Asteria, an estranged Titaness is forced to flee from the victorious gods after the first titan war. A desperate decision leads to unforeseen consequences and her life is changed forever by a power she hardly understands. A/U will update the description once more of the story is released. The story will be about Percy eventually.
1. A Home Among the Stars

**A/N: I do not own Percy Jackson or any other content belonging to Rick Riordan.**

 **I have plans for an extensive story with ~3500 word updates every week schoolwork permitting. Let me know what you think!**

Running. Flight. Escape. This had become her life. Never staying in one place long enough to become comfortable, or more importantly leave a permanent trace. She moved with the stars, slowly but surely traversing the globe in an attempt to evade her pursuers. She had been traveling on foot for several hours already, fearful to use her abilities lest she attract attention. Her breathing was quick, but steady, the december air cool to her lungs and bringing with it the faint scent of pine and of the ocean. The countryside had been slowly changing from the rolling hills she had been in for the past couple of days, to dense forests that she hoped would provide more cover, perhaps a longer respite. Her pace slowed, and eventually halted when she came to rest underneath the broad foliage of a massive willow tree. The limbs surrounded her in a dome that promised protection from prying eyes and the cold wind that had begun to become biting as soon as her movement had slowed. She dared not light a fire, but chose instead to rest her legs, slumping against the rough bark of the tree. Her heart finally began to calm, and her breathing returned to a more normal rhythm as she thought of the cause of her problems, and what she could possibly do to resolve them. Her mind worked quickly, analysing her options, and calling upon her substantial education and training to think of anything she could do. She silently cursed to herself as she mentally reviewed her position.

The age of the titans had finally come to an end. The world she left was burning, charred and disfigured by the divine powers that had been unleashed in the pursuit of domination. The titans who had remained loyal to Kronos, and a good number of those who had not were quickly being sent to Tartarus, or punished/imprisoned in other ways. She had watched in horror as her family was systematically dismantled and disposed of. The only reason she had been spared long enough to escape was due to her limited power and the gods lack of interest in conquering her domains for the time being. Asteria was the titaness of falling stars and other celestial objects, the daughter of Coeus and Phoebe, and sister of Leto. Her daughter Hecate had been spared punishment for her help in aiding the gods, but she bore little resentment toward her. She had no love for the tyranny of Kronos, nor did she partake in the fight against the gods. The only thing she was guilty of was not betraying her family. Not that she expected the gods to care about that. She had heard of Calypso's punishment before the night of her departure from the ruined mount Othrys.

A shiver raced down her spine involuntarily as she thought back to that night, and the confrontation that had forced her into this life of a fleeing refugee. It had been a dark night. Selene, despite her neutrality in the war, was clearly in mourning for the fate of her family. Initially she had been content to hide herself away in the dark recesses of mount Othrys, but soon the vengeful gods began to take apart the mountain, piece by piece, determined to remove every trace of their enemies. The first sign of trouble had been when muffled explosions and tremors had awoken her from a light, fitful sleep. ~ _Flashback~_ Dust trickled from the stone ceiling, and the faint smell of sulfur caused her nose to crinkle in disgust. Cracks began to form in the walls surrounding her, and flashes of multicolored light accompanied by more explosions of energy shone through irregularly. Fear wormed it's way into her heart, and terror gripped her limbs rendering them immovable. Short, staggered breaths wracked her body, and tears began to form in her eyes. What could she do? An explosion, louder and closer than the others knocked her from her feet and closed off the small skylight that she had been staring through, the only illumination now coming from the thin cracks in the walls.

Fear still gripped her, but her survival instincts were stronger. Her body stiffly rose and she began to mechanically walk towards the only remaining exit. She was forced to break through the door, the hinges having been crushed by the shifting mountain. Pieces of the door became caught up in her feet, and she stumbled, catching herself with outstretched hands. Pain flashed through her mind, and she cursed silently, allowing herself to glow faintly to observe the damage. Her hands were scraped, and there was a long, thin gash along her left arm, but thankfully nothing was broken. She got up again and used her uninjured arm to brace herself against the wall before beginning to move once again, this time with a higher degree of caution.

It seemed like hours before she finally glimpsed the darkened sky once again. It was another small skylight, but she could see another door that looked promising ahead of her. When she reached the opening, she carefully placed her ear against the wood to listen and tentatively stretched out her senses to see if there was another deity nearby. After several moments of silence from both her senses, punctuated by the sound of more muted blasts from the way she had come, she decided to take her chances and carefully opened the door which, much to her dismay, groaned loudly in protest. Warily, she glanced around the room, muscles tensed in preparation to flee. It was a balcony of sorts, several tall Greek style pillars supported the low ceiling, the walls were a muted forest green, and a low marble guard rail with intricate carvings of plants and nature scenes ringed the curved outside of the room which overlooked the mountainside. The tiled floor had the appearance of fine gravel and dirt interspersed with large round rocks, but it felt like a continuous, even surface that was surprisingly soft to the slowly relaxing titaness.

The change in texture was a welcome relief to her tired, sore feet and she decided to take a small rest in the apparent solitude of the small room. A short cushioned bench was on her left against the bare wall, and to her right was a semicircle of stone stools facing a now dark hearth. The ever-burning torches and hearths that littered the mountain had quickly ceased functioning after the defeat of the titans and the gradual departure of their power. She chose to sit on the bench and took several calming breaths before looking once again towards the open night air. A shooting star flashed across the night sky, and she felt a small surge of power at the interaction with her domain. She could tell that the alcove she was in was about halfway up the mountain, and based on what she could see from the sky faced East. She took another look around the room, but her inspection failed to expose any new details.

After resting for a few minutes, she took a deep breath and walked to the railing. A thin staircase that had been hidden by the curve of the mountain appeared after a brief examination. Seeing no other viable options, she began to descend into the darkness.

The steps were smooth and regular, but not slick and she had slight difficulty distinguishing the outlines. After several hundred feet, they came to an end, the protrusions slowly fading into the side of the mountain. At the base of the steps, she could see a small trail leading away from the mountain, and to what she hoped would be her salvation. She pushed through the vegetation for several more minutes before stumbling into a small clearing, now almost at the base of Othrys.

The clearing had a small, almost perfectly circular pool in the middle. The surface of the water was devoid of disturbances, but despite this, she couldn't see anything in the water. A faint glow of light emanated from the pool and the gentle wind blowing through the clearing caressed her face, bringing with it the faint scent of citrus, and something else she couldn't quite identify. The various sounds of nature gradually faded from her perception as she felt drawn to the water's edge and before she realised what she was doing, her feet were almost in the water. With difficulty, she stopped herself from entering the water, her instincts dulley flared speaking to the danger of the pool. The sense of danger was not something like she felt from the presence of a hostile immortal, but more akin to a long fall, or a blazing fire. It didn't seem to be malicious, but rather a force of nature.

In the midst of her pondering the implications of the strange feeling, she absentmindedly examined her visage in the pool for the first time in a long while. She had flowing, lightly curled black hair that seemed to pull in the light from the sky, as well as the faint light of the pool and cascaded to just past her shoulder blades. Her face, marred by dust and grime, had a regal beauty none the less. She had a slightly pointed chin, high cheekbones and a small nose the turned up slightly at the tip. Her eyes, however, were the most striking feature she possessed. Her sclera was the pitch black of space, her iris the deep, almost electric, slowly shifting blue of a neutron star, and her pupil was constantly swirling, changing storm of precious metals. She was a respectable height, and though she had never been as muscle bound as titans such as Atlas, she had kept herself fit. Her injuries from earlier had already healed for the most part, a slight skin discoloration the only reminder of her clumsiness. She was wearing a plain white chiton with black sash and belt.

A voice, so soft that initially she thought it was the whispering of the wind distracted her from her self inspection. She heard the voice again, still unable to make out words, but recognizing the validity of its existence none the less.

"Who's there?" she asked timidly, apprehensive at the thought of being captured, and preparing her muscles in anticipation of making a quick exit. A cursory glance at her surroundings revealed no likely sources for the voice's origin, but her eyes snapped back to the pool as she heard it speak for a third time, echoing from the depths of the water. "Titaness…" the voice spoke, "You are not safe here…" The voice was decidedly feminine, but sounded weak and lacked conviction. Attempting to pierce the gloomy waters with a scrutinizing gaze, Asteria spoke quietly "What do you mean? Who are you?"

In response to her questions, a face slowly appeared in the water "My name is Aerolithene, I am the nymph of this pool, which is the result of a long forgotten meteorite strike." the face spoke after slowly breaching the surface. Water droplets coalesced into a roughly humanoid shape, supporting the head of the nymph as she regarded Asteria. "I have little time… My life draws to an end, but with my remaining strength I wish to help you, my lady. My life was formed because of your domains. My soul is bound to the piece of metal that fell to the earth, but this pool that formed my physical body will soon be no more. I will use what is left of my strength to grant you my blessing." Aerolithene continued, and raised one of her arms toward the stunned titaness. Before she could begin to protest, a beam of copper light shot into Asteria, striking her in the chest and causing her to stumble.

Pain blossomed from the impact, so intense that she almost blacked-out, but as quickly as it registered, it faded, leaving a hollow ache. "What have you done?" Asteria gasped, still taken aback by the nymph's actions. Aerolithene smiled sadly at her, even as her form began to dissolve and float away in the wind. "I have given you the ability to tether your soul to a celestial object, just as mine was. You will be bound to its physical location, though to a much lesser extent than I, and you will be able to take on a semblance of its characteristics with a high amount of difficulty. Be careful, as this aspect of your power is volatile and extremely dangerous." the nymph rushed out as her form continued to dissipate. "I can't explain everything, but I trust you will need this power _very_ soon. Farewell my lady…" As soon as her farewell left her lips the remainder of her form dispersed into what remained of the pool which was no longer glowing, and slowly began to empty as it's life source faded away.

The prone titaness was too stunned to react. Sorrow, followed by guilt and remorse flashed through her mind. What had she done to deserve this kindness? She hadn't even tried to stop the nymph from ending her own life. It felt as if she had just discovered a niece only to have her taken away in an instant. Tears came to her eyes and she quietly sobbed, still reeling from the sudden shock of emotions. By the time she composed herself, there was no longer any water in the pool, and what remained in the crater was a small chunk of copper-colored metal. On instinct, she reached out and touched the rough metal. The moment her shaking hand made contact with the rock, there was a brief flash of light, causing her to avert her eyes, and she felt a weight land on her outstretched palm. She shifted her gaze and was surprised to find a small necklace in her palm. It was a copper circle surrounding a scene of swirling galaxies and attached to a graceful silver chain.

She felt a connection to the metal, and she clasped it carefully around her neck. She continued to stare at the piece of jewelry before she was broken from her trance by the sound of twigs breaking and tree branches being pushed aside and snapping back into place. The smell of ozone filled the air, and an electrified aura began to assault her. She began to silently creep away from the source of the noise, but before she could escape the clearing a figure crashed through the underbrush.

The figure was wearing white robes with threads of gold. He had a muscular body, long black shoulder-length hair, and a salt and pepper beard that seemed neatly trimmed. When Asteria saw the man's electric blue eyes, she nearly gasped in fear. "I thought I had sensed a show of power." the man said, locking eyes with the scared titaness. "L-lord Zeus!" Asteria replied "What can I do for you, my lord?" she continued fearfully, hoping against hope the powerful god would not recognise her. "Well, I know you did not fight with your titan brethren, but regretfully, your allegiance was not with the gods, and you must be punished." The god said with a malevolent gaze, shattering what little hope the titaness had of escaping recognition.

Zeus examined the feminine figure in front of him for several seconds before continuing. "Now we banished Calypso to that deserted island, but I can think some better punishments for one as pretty as you." the god sneered, a lecherous grin spreading across his face. Asteria's apprehension rose sharply, and she shivered involuntarily as she realised the implications of the god's words. The newly crowned king of the gods began advancing, but the titaness reacted quickly, sending a blinding burst of light and power which only served to distract and disorient the much more powerful immortal as she made her escape.

Her efforts were rewarded with a roar of indignation, and narrowly missing lightening bolts that vaporized nearby vegetation. While Zeus would undoubtedly defeat the fleeing titaness in a straight fight, her diminutive form and agility allowed her to narrowly escape the furious deity. ~ _end Flashback~_ From there on out she had been on the run. She had no particular destination in mind, she only knew she had no desire to spend any quality time with the gods.

Asteria was unsure how far she would be pursued, or even if she was being chased in the first place, but she had always been one to err on the side of caution. Since that night, she had seen not a sign of the gods, and she began to hope that they were too distracted in their revelries to pay a minor titaness such as herself much heed. Unfortunately, her luck was soon to run out.

She was awakened from her unintentional slumber against the willow tree by an oppressive presence entering her range of senses. Asteria shook the drowsiness from her limbs and hastily began to move again in hopes of remaining undetected, but it was too late. A bolt of lightning slammed into her back as she began to run. Pain arched **(A/N Hah.)** through her back, and she fall convulsing to the ground. Cold laughter assaulted her ears as she rose shakily to her feet. "Did you think to escape the mighty Zeus little one?" a seemingly muffled voice said. In other circumstances she would have scoffed at the younger deities antics, but she was in no position to mock anyone. She turned to face her assailant, her clothes still smoking slightly from the attack, and black dots dancing across her unfocused vision.

Just inside the canopy of the willow tree stood Zeus, looking much the same from the night many days ago he had begun to chase her. She took a steadying breath before casting out her senses. Zeus' aura of power was almost blindingly brilliant in such proximity, but after forcing herself to focus around it she was able to gain valuable information. As far as she could tell, there were no other deities around. She was also shocked by the amount of celestial activity she could sense, not having attempted such an action sense her flight began in the fear of attracting unwanted attention.

She could sense several shooting stars beginning their descent into the atmosphere giving her minute bursts of power, a comet that was nearing its perihelion (closest distance) in relation to the earth, and several more minor comets that were gradually fading from her senses. Though the lightning bolt hadn't caused any serious damage, she knew she was in trouble. Asteria continued to regard Zeus warily, continuing to weigh her options. The god raised his hand and she heard a muted snap as her hearing was restored.

"I certainly hope I haven't caused any _permanent_ damage, I just can't have you running away again." Zeus said with a false smile that only served to further unnerve the frightened titaness. The king of the gods advanced at a leisurely pace, still pointing his masterbolt at Asteria. Panic began to overwhelm her as Zeus closed the distance, her mind remained blank until she felt a small tug from her necklace and she remembered the nymph's words and blessing.

Zeus' hand began to close around her arm, and in desperation she threw out her senses again, latching on to the comet that was quickly approaching. Unsure of what to do she poured her remaining energy into the connection she could faintly feel with the celestial body, seeking any avenue of help available. She willed herself to become one with the comet, to be taken away, to be saved.

Rather than being moved, she felt a sudden surge of power just as Zeus' grasp tightened. Her body felt heavier, and the electricity that Zeus had intended to use to pacify her passed through it without any adverse effects. Without thinking, she used her free arm to lash out at the god, striking him in the chest and sending him flying several yards back, breaking his tentative grasp on her arm in the process. Asteria looked in shock at her now outstretched arm which was almost entirely a bronze medal. Before Zeus could get a chance to recover, the titaness fled, her new weight initially doing little to affect her ability to move beyond making her steps heavier.

She knew something was wrong when she began to lose feeling in her extremities. Her fingers and toes became solid, and as she ran her joints became more and more difficult to move. The burst of strength she had received from the connection with the comet had already faded, and she was too weak to use her new power again. Her body was slowly becoming the same composition as the celestial body she had bonded to, and she noticed that her temperature was dropping rapidly as well. Asteria came to a halt on the edge of a cliff, the roar of the ocean filled her ears and the humid salty air felt strange on her mottled skin. Terror began to overwhelm her, and was only heightened by the sounds of her pursuer crashing through the underbrush.

Seeing no other option, she tried to transform into her sacred animal. After several seconds of concentration and drawing upon her dwindling energy reserves, her form slowly shifted into a small quail. The process of turning into inanimate metal was slowed considerably, but she knew her physical body was still dying. She tried to take flight, but her heavier composition was a great hinderance in her efforts to generate lift. The added difficulty of having lightning bolts thrown at her by an enraged god of the skies only served to aggravate the problem.

Just as she thought she had reached a safe distance from the cliff, a stray bolt grazed her wing and she began to plunge towards the ocean. She struggled in vain against the winds with her now nearly inoperable wing, but she quickly lost altitude. She breached the surface of the water, not having enough energy to even try and swim and quickly sank into the depths. The currents began to sweep her out to sea, and her world was fading into blackness. Her divine fortitude prevented her from drowning for a long period of time, but she knew this was the end. She silently prayed to whatever deity would aid her to bring her to a safe place to land. Before the darkness finally took her, she vaguely felt her form began to change.

 **A/N: There it is! The first chapter! In case you're wondering, Asteria IS a titaness in Greek mythology, and it is accurate that she turned into a quail and dove into the ocean after being pursued by Zeus, as well as what will happen next chapter. To clarify, the comet is in perihelion, as is the earth, thus making this a very rare occurrence which will be important later.**


	2. No Man is an Island

**A/N Here's the 2nd chapter. Thank you to everyone who has favorited/followed this story, please if you have the time review so I know what you think of it. Constructive criticism is always appreciated!**

Asteria's consciousness awoke drifting in a veritable sea of nothingness. She panicked at first when she couldn't feel her body, her trepidation only growing at the absence of sight, smell, or even taste. Her thoughts became frantic, and she began to mentally scream and weep. After an unknowable amount of time, she calmed herself enough to try to use other senses. After reaching out with her power, she could feel two separate anchor points that she was in between, one much stronger than the other, but seemingly sending a constant trickle to the other.

Curious as to what each of these points were, and frankly with nothing else to do she willed her consciousness to the stronger of the two, somewhat apprehensive of what she would find. As she approached, she began to be drawn to the point. An inexorable pull forced her closer and closer until she finally collided with the point. Though she still lacked her primary senses, her merge with the point of connection had definitely given her substance. She could feel, in one way or another, things she couldn't begin to explain. The titaness had an innate sense of the gravity acting upon her from a multitude of sources, and how they would affect her motion through space.

She finally realised that her consciousness must be anchored to the comet that she had tried to use to save her life. Inhabiting the piece of rock gave her a surprising amount of information, little of which seemed very useful at the moment. She knew the period of the orbit, roughly seventeen years, maximum and minimum distance from the sun, the composition of the comet, primarily copper with several other base metals thrown in, and also the comet's current distance from the point that her consciousness was feeding energy to, which she assumed was her body on earth.

While surprised that she was still alive, and not currently an inhabitant of tartarus at the moment, she was anxious to return to her body and see where she was. Unfortunately, that didn't turn out to be an option. She tried her best to separate her consciousness from the rock, but she was still too weak from the events of the past few days. Before she could move even a short distance away from the asteroid, her power would fail her and she would be forced to return. To make things worse, she knew she was currently traveling farther and farther away from earth and she knew that even at full power she wouldn't be able to go too far without being sucked back to the rock.

After several more fruitless attempts at escape, she resigned herself to her fate and decided she would just have to wait and regain her strength. At first she thought she would go insane. The minutes slowly ticked by, and she had no idea how long she would have to wait before she could return. The only way she had to tell time was by the relative position of the sun, and her innate knowledge of the period of the comet's orbit.

Years passed, and her boredom grew. In desperation, once she had recovered a substantial amount of power, she began to experiment with the object she was anchored to. With a small bit of practice, she found that could shape the comet in various ways. With nothing better to do, Asteria spent her days gradually changing the contours of her prison into something more to her liking. Though she still lacked the ability to see, she was none the less able to feel what she was working on well enough to have a rough mental approximation to represent the changes she made.

Initially she begun to recreate what she remembered from mount Othrys, but she was never exactly fond of spending time in the place, so decided to focus her efforts on other avenues. After a bit of deliberation, she instead terraformed the landscape into more of a hilly expanse. She painstakingly created several mountain ranges, complete with rocky trees and other pseudo vegetation. Despite her domains being solely focused on celestial bodies, she had a particular affinity towards the wilds, from which her domains were clear to earthly observers. Nestled in the various valleys, she created a series of cave systems, each with multiple rooms that she imagined would be suitable for living quarters. Having finished the rough outlines and structures of her imaginary colony, she began to focus more on the details.

Spending effort focusing on such minute pieces such as chairs and tables helped to pass the time quickly. It required an immense amount of concentration, and no small measure of control which she had developed working on her other projects to get things just right. The nigh impossible task of furnishing the homes with things such as utensils took her almost a decade, and she had hardly noticed that the the direction the comet was traveling had shifted slightly. After a mental shout of triumph having finished the last of the spoons, she realised that her comet was once again headed towards the earth. Fearful that she might have expended too much energy in her enthusiasm towards shaping the contents of her home, she hastily put her consciousness into a near comatose state to preserve and gather energy, praying that it would be enough to escape her current prison and allow her to return to the earth.

After several years, she roused herself from her self imposed slumber of sorts and began to gather her energy. The time spent in concentration and meditation had improved her control over her power, and she soon was ready to begin her attempt. As the distance closed, her nervousness grew. She was grateful to be alive, but she did not relish the thought of having to spend the rest of eternity in isolation on her rock of a home. Despite her efforts to make it more comfortable, she knew her mental capacities were slowly slipping towards insanity as she spent more time alone. She was reminded of the horror stories told of other immortals who had been left alone with their own thoughts for so long that they had lost every last scrap of their ability to function in any sort of society. Tales and rumors of deities who had been overcome with their domains and slowly faded into them.

Finally, the moment arrived. Just as she felt the distance between her current location and her other physical body stop decreasing, she poured all her power into shoving her consciousness away from the comet before the distance could begin to increase. Mentally grunting under the effort, she strained against the pull of the celestial body, seeming to cling to her mind, preventing her from leaving. She could feel the restraints begin to weaken, but she was quickly exhausting her meagre energy reserves and she mentally cursed herself for her zealous construction on the comet's surface. It seemed as if tendrils of connection began to snap, slowly but steadily lessening the load in sudden increments.

Freedom was within her grasp, she could feel her connection to the earth begin to grow, her struggle became marginally easier. Her strength was waning, but the connections continued to release their holds on her. Only the last few bonds held her in place, and even those began to elongate, nearing their breaking point. She felt one of the stronger bonds snap, but before she could feel more than a slight pulse of elation, darkness took her and her senses dulled.

When she regained her awareness, she knew she had failed. Anger flared in her heart, but it was quickly quelled by her sense of despair. She felt the distance from the earth continue to increase, and her tethers to the comet resume their previous strength. After another few moments of sulking, she strengthened her resolve and once again entered a state of meditation similar to a coma. She halted as many processes as possible, and the rest she subdued to the best of her ability to regain as much power as possible.

As she drifted through the vast emptiness of space, her limited consciousness could do naught but reflect on her life, and what the future held. She regretted her somewhat distant relationship with her daughter, wishing she had been a better mother, longing for a second chance. She knew, on some level, that she could repair the damage present in her relationship but she also desired to experience raising a child properly. She had not been an abusive parent, but she would not describe her daughter's upbringing as being characterised by love or care. It had been a harsher time, and many weaker immortals had been discarded. At the time she had believed her distance from her daughter had been a necessity in order to strengthen her for the harsh world, but now she saw it as weakness within herself.

She mentally constructed a list of things she would have done differently, and planned out everything she could think of. She was hesitant to have another immortal child, especially if she was unsuccessful in parenting once again. She knew it was selfish, but it didn't bother her too much. It would also prevent her partner from having too much say in the raising of the child, which pleased her.

Time seemed to flow at a speed similar to molasses held just above its freezing temperature with the lowest grade slope possible. After what seemed like mere millennia, the seventeen years had nearly passed, and her awareness returned to a full awakened state. Apprehension began to take hold of her mind, but she quickly shoved all negative thoughts aside. She refused to spend another orbit cycle alone with her thoughts!

She gathered as much energy as she could in a condensed state, focusing her consciousness and power in a singular point for maximum effect. When the time came, she pushed with everything she had, immediately shattering a majority of the lines holding her to the comet. With another surge, she broke through the remaining restraints and her consciousness shot towards the earth. She could still feel her connection to the comet, though her consciousness was no longer bound directly to the object.

She allowed herself to drift toward the earth, unable to perceive much of anything beyond a slight pull toward what she hoped was her physical body. Asteria was overjoyed to be returning to her home, despite her uncertainty at the current state of the world, anything was better than the isolation of space. Or so she thought.

She felt her consciousness bond with a physical body and struggled to open her eyes, only to discover that she was unable. Not that something was preventing her eyes from opening, or her muscles weren't responding, but rather because she lacked eyes. To her overwhelming frustration, she was once again bound to a mostly inanimate object. Her memory of her final moments on earth before she had left to be among the stars slowly returned to her.

~Flashback~

Her eyes closed, she could still feel her body burning, despite the cool water surrounding her. As she reached the ocean floor, the immense temperature surrounding her body quickly melted through the rocky bottom. This began a chain reaction, and lava was soon pouring forth from the hole she had created. It mixed and fused with her form, overwhelming and destroying what was left of her flesh and bones. Before her consciousness was expelled from the earth, she felt the molten rock continue to spew into the water, building up layers of rock. Just as it began to break the surface, she found herself drifting through space toward the unknown.

~End Flashback~

After a long while of wallowing in self pity and depression, Asteria slowly began to shift into a sort of incredulous acceptance. Her reality became somewhat detached. Her mind systematically rejected the realisation that her physical body was nothing more than an island. She was disconnected, unsure of how to proceed, or even if there was anything she could do.

Time passed, unnoticed by the weakened Titaness. Her conscious thoughts became lethargic, insipid in nature. What remained of her senses slowly faded from contrasting black and whites to grey. By the time she was able to realize that she was fading, it was little more than a tickle at the back of her mind. It was as if her thoughts had become a glacier, slowly, inevitably moving toward the vast abyss of the ocean, and her concerns, hopes and dreams were but small obstacles in it's path. They distracted her briefly, the desire to live, to be with her family again providing a flitting reprieve.

It was only when her desire to once again bear a child resurfaced did she gain any sort of foothold against the creeping oblivion of fading. Even that desire, however, was soon degrading and dissolving away because of her isolation and powerless state. With the little conscious thought she could muster, Asteria recognised the futility of her fight. She prayed, for the thousandth time, that her daughter would forgive her ineptitude at being a mother, and prepared to accept her fate.

Before she could release herself into oblivion, she felt another presence. Someone, or something, was on her island. The shock of another presence shored her mental defenses and renewed her vigor in fighting against the fog that had settled over her mind. She tentatively reached out with her senses, and after a bit of searching, found the intruder.

The first thing she was able to determine was that the presence was an immortal. Initially, this sent a shock of fear through her, but she quickly suppressed her emotions and focused more on gathering information.

The vibrations transmitted through the soil gave her the impression that whoever it was had a stumbling gait. It was irregular, and punctuated by brief stops. Her previous fears were further alleviated when she was able to determine that the being was a titan rather than a god. Her relief soon gave way to confusion, however. Who of those that were still free would travel to an island in the middle of nowhere?

The longer Asteria observed the being, the more details she was able to make out. She came to the conclusion that the figure was most likely female, due to the weight and length of the steps taken. She also hazarded a guess that whoever it was was in a state of distress, possibly crying which accounted for her eccentric pattern of movement.

She felt the woman stop suddenly, and was perplexed until she felt another presence nearing her shore and her first visitor shifted into a run. Asteria could only think to protect this woman from whatever it was that was chasing her. She felt power she didn't know she had form a bubble of protection around the island, preventing the second figure from entering.

Following this, she began to subtly guide her guest inland where she used her experience shaping the comet to create a simple cave complex to provide her with shelter. To her delight, the woman quickly took shelter in the home Asteria had prepared for her.

Though she was overjoyed at being able to help, she was still overwhelmingly curious as to who it was that she had saved. Focusing on her desire, she used most of her remaining energy to form a projection of herself that she could use to at least see and hear for herself even if it wasn't a physical body.

She briefly wished she could manifest her physical body again, but the amount of power required for such a task would have been almost impossible even at the height of her power, and with her current situation would take millennia of storing power, if it was even possible.

Her conjured form shimmered into being at the entrance to the cave, and for the first time she was able to observe her handiwork from an outside perspective. The entrance itself was about twice as tall as she was, and wide enough for several people to pass through side-by-side. It didn't exactly look natural, rather it possessed a sort of stretched quality that was easy to overlook at first, but became obvious upon further inspection. She made a mental note to work on the design and entered the cave without a sound.

The first room she entered had a high, dome-like ceiling, easily forty feet across with a small hole on the center she had intended to function as a sort of chimney. From this room, there was three smaller rooms, and a hallway that led deeper into the cave system. Knowing her visitor was down the hallway, and with the knowledge that she had very limited time to retain her form, she quickly proceeded down the hall.

The hallway was unnaturally symmetric having two smaller rooms on either side and finally ending in a slightly larger one where she could sense the woman was resting. She could see a faint glow emanating from the room, and cautiously advanced. She could hear a low sobbing which encouraged her to enter the room.

Her guest was easy to spot as soon as she moved past the threshold. Her first reaction was shock and confusion. Before her was a visage that could have been mistaken for her at first glance. Asteria gasped quietly after she had gotten over her initial shock, causing the woman's head to snap up and her body moved into a defensive crouch. The shift in posture revealed stunning silver eyes, and a shock of auburn hair, matted and dirtied from whatever journey had brought the woman to her current position.

"Leto?" Asteria asked tentatively, her voice still somewhat tinged by confusion. If anything the estranged titaness before her was even more shocked and confused to see her sister before her. "Asteria!?" Leto gasped out "Where have you been? What are you doing here?" she said before stumbling to her feet and making to hug her sibling.

Before Asteria could react, Leto's arms had passed through her, and she stumbled at the lack of contact, ending up sprawled out in the hallway behind Asteria. "I'm afraid there's much to tell, sister" The titaness of falling stars said sadly "and I have little time left to speak with you."

Leto shakily rose to her feet again, her face contorted in shock and grief. "S-surely you aren't fading already sister?!" she asked incredulously. Asteria laughed somewhat bitterly. "Thanks to you, not yet. Though that may have been the preferable course..." At Leto's questioning stare Asteria continued. "Zeus pursued me for weeks, my only escape was to try and fly away in the form of a quail, but my body was too damaged from his lightning, as well as the usage of some of my power, and I fell into the ocean. As my consciousness faded away, my body changed into this island, untethered by the ground. I eventually regained awareness, only to begin to fade from isolation and power deprivation. Your presence here ensured my survival and I was able to prevent those chasing you from entering and make this cave system for you. I'm using my remaining power to form this projection to see with my own 'eyes' who it was I was harboring."

Leto's expression slid from horror, to anger, to grief as Asteria explained her story. Tears returned to her eyes as she looked at her sister. "Thank you for saving me, I'm afraid I have only a slightly less harrowing tale to tell. Long story short, Zeus impregnated me, and now Hera is chasing after me with everything she has. She cursed me to not be able to give birth on _terra firma_ , but if what you say is true, this island isn't connected to the earth!" she ended with a hint of happiness. "If I would have known what had happened to you, I never would have been seduced by the pig." Leto continued angrily.

"Peace, sister." Asteria said. "You are safe now, and I will do my best to continue to protect you and help you in any way that I can. My time runs short, but I will be with you still. Hopefully I'm be able to project myself again soon that we may talk again. The past years have been… lonely"

Asteria's form began to flicker, and slowly dissolved, a peaceful smile upon her face as she looked upon her likewise smiling sister.

 **A/N There's chapter 2! Sorry if it was a bit tedious, things will definitely be more exciting next chapter. There's not really a description of what Leto looks like, so I assumed she would look like her sister. Yes, Asteria is the island of Delos, Greek mythology is weird.**

 **On another note, what do you guys think of Asteria? How many more chapters would you like to see focused on her/Leto/the twins? There will be at least one more chapter before Percy shows up, probably 2. Leave me a review to let me know what you guys want to see!**

 **Also, sorry for the late chapter post, I had a lot of personal stuff going on this past 2 weeks, but I should be back on a more regular posting schedule (senior design permitting).**


	3. The Waiting Game

**A/N: I don't own Percy Jackson or any of his characters.**

Leto awoke feeling better than she had in weeks. Her happiness was short-lived as she opened her eyes and began to panic. She couldn't see! Had she been captured? Her memories of the previous day returned to her and she calmed herself. "Asteria? Are you there?" Her question was met with silence.

After several more moments of silence Leto released a small sigh and shook the remaining weariness from her body before attempting to navigate out of the pitch black cavern. She was weary at the thought of using her powers, even to provide light, on the off chance that Hera or one of her minions would be able to find her.

Several minutes later she followed the increasing light to the entrance of the cave. Now that she wasn't running for her life, she took the time to examine her surroundings. She could see on the edge of her vision the crashing waves of the ocean, tinted with the colors of the rising sun. Her cave was at the base of a small mountain, and between her and the water was a small forested area. The foliage was not so thick as to obscure the ground, and she could see several small streams, and even a lake or two. Even from her vantage point, she couldn't see any signs of life.

Leto was moved from her observations by a low, airy chuckle from behind her. She whirled around, readying her body to strike out or flee, but her searching eyes failed to see the source of the laughter. "It's dangerous business walking out your front door these days, eh sister?" said a voice, and her tension faded. "Lelantus, as much as I appreciate your ability to remain unnoticed, I'm seriously considering forcing you to wear a bell to avoid situations just as this; you would probably just take it as a challenge, though…"

The titan of the air, hunt, and prey soundlessly materialised several yards away, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Perhaps I _should_ wear a bell if only to lure you into a false sense of security." he said with a light smirk before walking forward and embracing his sister in a comforting embrace. "I'm glad you have found safety sister, what powers the magic on this island? It was no small task to follow you here, and it felt as though I was judged before being granted entrance."

Tears came to Leto's eyes as she described their sister's fate, thoroughly soaking Lelantus' shirt by the time she finished. "Where is she now?" the titan asked quietly. "Has she faded?" he continued with a small bit of panic in his voice.

"I believe she's merely regaining her power. She didn't give me too much detail as to her condition, but she seemed to think she was no longer in any danger of fading." Leto reassured her brother. "Not that I don't appreciate the company, but what are you doing here Lelantus? How did you escape the gods' wrath?"

"You said it yourself, I've always had a knack for escaping people's notice." Lelantus started with an arrogant smile before continuing in a more serious tone. "I had no interest in the war beyond defending my family. I prefer to keep to myself and tend to my domains. When it was clear we would not be the victors, I returned to my life of solitude. Only when I heard the whispers of the wind that told me of your plight did I decide to try and find you. It was my intention to secret you away to somewhere safe, but it would appear you no longer need that aspect of my services." He concluded with a sober smile.

"Truly this place is more than I could have hoped for, it should be a great place to raise my child-" Leto was interrupted by Lelantus sharp intake of breath. "You did not mention that you were with child, when did this happen? Who is the father?!" the titan spoke, his voice rising in volume until he was nearly shouting at his sister.

"Calm yourself brother! I believe it was around three months ago, the father is _Zeus._ " she spat, loathing tinting her final words. "Will you stay and help me, brother? I… I do not want to go through this alone."

Lelantus expression softened immediately at his sister's words and he pulled her into another warm embrace, comforting her. "Of course Leto. I will help you with whatever you need, and Asteria is here, even if she's limited in her interactions, we will protect you. You are not alone."

The siblings remained locked in the embrace for several minutes until Leto regained her composure. "The landscape seems friendly, but I haven't seen much wildlife. I know we don't need food to live, but starving isn't exactly comfortable."

Lelantus chuckled again, "I guess I could help with that." He waved his hand and the area in front of them exploded with life. Deer, turkey, and other small game quickly charged off into the wilderness in a panic. One of the smaller bucks fell with a soft moan, an arrow seeming to grow out from just above its front shoulder.

Lelantus set the bow he had conjured aside before advancing on the animal he had slain. He made short work of skinning and gutting the deer before returning to his sister who had developed a sickened expression. "Morning sickness got you did it?" the titan asked teasingly.

"I can't say that is something I want to see again brother… I'm a firm believer in never having to see the inside of other living beings if possible." Leto said, doing her best to quell her nausea. "Couldn't you have simply summoned a meal for us?" Leto snapped, her mood shifting uncharacteristically swiftly.

Lelantus looked contemplative. "I suppose I could have, though that's hardly fun." he said after a moment.

"And it's more fun to subject you pregnant sister to the entrails of an animal!?" Leto spat venomously, striking her brother in his unprotected shoulder.

The titan danced out of range, still holding the spoils from his hunt. "Well, now that you mention it, yes!" he said grinning. "But in all honesty, we're immortal sis. When you can get what you want with a snap of your fingers, the joy in life comes from completing tasks without powers. Sure I could summon us meals whenever we're hungry, but then this place still wouldn't have any animals, and perhaps my skills as a hunter would degrade. I'm not saying I'll never use my powers, especially when you're trying to avoid being noticed, but practical skills are hard to beat."

The explanation shocked the titaness and she nodded briefly before taking the meat from her brother and going about setting a fire.

~Line Break

It was a month before Asteria regained enough energy to manifest herself. She had sensed the other presence near her sister and had initially been near panicking. After a few hours of intense examination, she determined the being probably wasn't a threat and that she would make sure before she did anything rash. She felt other, definitely hostile presences on the border of her island, but thankfully they were unable to gain access.

In an effort to conserve strength, Asteria made herself as insubstantial as possible before appearing in the main room of the cave she had made for her sister. She was shocked to see her brother conversing with Leto and assumed he was the singular entity who had been able to get on the island.

Lelantus rose abruptly, having seen Asteria materialise and swiftly went to embrace her before stopping just short with a sheepish grin. "Good to see you Asteria, though see _through_ you might be a better phrase." he greeted warmly.

The image narrowed its eyes at the smirking titan and Leto quickly cuffed him on the head before greeting her sister as well.

Leto's pregnancy was just beginning to show, and Asteria made a mental note to adjust what she could about the dwelling to make life easier for her. The siblings chatted animatedly for the better part of the afternoon before Leto politely excused herself for a nap and Lelantus and Asteria were left to themselves.

The titan had already explained his journey to the island in detail to his sister but his curiosity was piqued concerning his younger sister's story. "Have you found out anything else about your powers or your connection to this comet, sister?"

"I have told you all I know Lel, honestly, it frightens me no small amount to know that I could be trapped between the stars. Despite my connection to them, it is not a pleasant proposition... " Asteria responded with a light shudder.

Asteria loved her brother dearly. She had always been closer to him than Leto; both Lelantus and Asteria had playful personalities which usually got them into trouble, especially when they were together. They both cared deeply for their older sister, but Leto had always been the most responsible of the three.

"You know, I'm not exactly pleased that you have filled my island with wildlife. As much as I appreciate you helping Leto, you've made my job of preventing unwanted guests that much harder." Asteria chided lightly.

Lelantus face took on a betrayed expression. "You wound me, dear sister! On the contrary, the animals I have given you are _staunch_ protectors! They will defend this place far better than you ever could!"

The image rolled its eyes. "You're right Lel, even the most fearsome of monsters turn and flee at the sight of deer and rabbits."

At this, Lelantus conjured a small white rabbit with abnormally large teeth sitting amongst a pile of bones, complete with a pool of fresh blood. "Look at the teeth!" He said in mock horror. "And the BONES!" the rabbit promptly sprang at Asteria, passing cleanly through her neck and smashing into the cave wall behind her before vanishing in a gust of wind along with the rest of the scene.

Asteria's peal of laughter echoed through the cave, amplified by the walls and the island itself seemed to shake slightly in mirth. "You've outdone yourself Lel!" she complimented, still straining to restrain her laughter. "There is but one problem with your _impenetrable_ defense, however."

Lelantus peered contemplatively at his sister's image motioning for her to continue. "There are no predators here and the hare population will near critical mass soon enough," She supplied.

The titan gave a sheepish smile before waving his hand and causing a small pack of wolves and a veritable flock of eagles to appear. "Right you are sister, there must be balance!"

Asteria looked at her brother incredulously. "What happens when the wolf population becomes overbearing then? Do you summon dracons to keep them in check?!" she asked hotly. "Did I not just say that having more animals made my job harder!"

The titan of the wild seemed lost in thought. "You may have a point there with the dracons… do you think hell-hounds would be better? What should I get for the eagles do you think?" He said with a cheeky grin.

Asteria's frustration prevented her from forming coherent words and, without a conscious effort, a slab of rock shot out of the ground connecting solidly with Lelantus' stomach and propelling him backwards several yards.

The worried titaness swiftly moved to her fallen brother before she realised that even if he was hurt she couldn't do much of anything to help him. Lelantus gasped from his position on the ground, clearly winded, but otherwise unhurt.

"You know, it's not really fair when I can't fight back," Lelantus said once he had regained his breath. "Though that could come in handy if we do ever run into trouble," He said with a pained grin.

"I'm not going to apologise because you definitely deserved it," Asteria said with a playful smile. "But I will try to refrain from causing any serious damage to you in the future… at least without warning you first," She finished with a sly wink.

"Should keep life interesting at least," the titan responded. "Speaking of which, Leto's going to kill me if I don't have dinner ready by the time she gets up, do you want me to get you something too? What do islands eat anyway?"

Asteria responded by surrounding her insolent brother in a tomb of solid rock. It was good to know that despite their current physical states, their teasing brother-sister relationship remained. She was still understandably saddened by her lack of physical body and the limitations that imposed on her, but she was overjoyed to have her siblings by her side through it all.

Lelantus' outraged cries brought a smile to the titaness' face and she decided to have pity on the trapped figure, especially after hearing some of the language coming from the entrapped titan. She left a small hole for air in the top of the rock before causing her form to dissipate and entering into another state of rest, having told her siblings earlier that the next time they would see her was when the pregnancy came to term.

The titan of the air and hunt knew when he'd been pranked. The small opening that his sister had made allowed a welcome bit of air and light into his prison and was subtle confirmation that this was indeed payback. He spent several moments in fond recollection of his childhood if it could be called that.

Immortal beings were not exactly known for their nurturing ways, especially the titans. He was sure that his parents loved him and his sisters dearly in their own way, but to say that any of the siblings had been spoiled would be a gross exaggeration. He was the middle child but in a way it had always been his duty to protect his sisters from monsters and other immortal beings and beasts alike.

Lelantus had learned quickly the ways of battle and self-preservation and his domain over the air and the wilds was not something that came without hardship. Before he had bemoaned the time and effort he had expended to become a master of the bow as well as most close quarter weapons, but now he was glad to have the skills he needed to protect his loved ones. If what Leto had told them about Hera was true, he would surely need his skills in the near future.

With that thought in mind, Lelantus shifted into a mild breeze and escaped his temporary confinement. The earth receded to its normal state after a few moments in recognition of his freedom. The triumph of his escape lasted for a brief moment before he shifted back into human form and sped off into the woods at a swift trot, his face a mask of grim determination. He still needed to hunt some game for his pregnant sister and fully intended to get a good feel for the island and its defences as soon as possible.

~Line Break~

A strange scraping sound had put Lelantus on high alert. It had been a month and a half since he had first seen Asteria and every day had seen him exploring the island and training himself to take advantage of the terrain. He was on another hunting trip when he was alerted to the presence of a creature he had not called to the island.

The light scraping sound was accompanied by the familiar crunch of underbrush and he sank into a crouch before silently advancing toward the source. Following his keen hearing gave him his first glimpse of the creature. It was easily the size of some of the larger wolves, if not bigger. It had a face reminiscent of a bear, an elongated body with a prehensile tail curled in on itself as it advanced through the woods. The scraping sound emanated from the hard segmented plates that covered the creature from its ears to the tip of its tail. The plates appeared similar in composition to that of a turtle shell and were a dull orange color.

The creature's head snapped up, nostrils flaring before turning towards the hidden titan and barreling forward with a snarl ripping from its throat. Lelantus was taken aback at the ferocity and speed of the beast's charge, and only managed to avoid being mauled by throwing himself to the side in an ungraceful roll that left him with a strained shoulder and several small scratches.

He instinctively shot off an arrow at the creature, which had quickly reorientated itself to face him, and was rewarded with the sight of his arrow shattering on the thick armor of his enemy. The beast charged again but the titan was fully prepared for the speed of his adversary this time around.

Lelantus positioned himself in front of a tree and waited until the last moment before springing into the air, narrowly avoiding the snapping jaws of the creature before drawing his sword and striking down at where he thought the exposed neck of the creature would be. Unfortunately, he had misjudged the power of the charge and the tree he had meant to halt the momentum of the beast was obliterated causing his intended strike to land squarely on the creature's armored back.

The force of the blow left both of his arms numb and his surprise left him sprawled on the forest floor with a now enraged monster bearing( **A/N: hah)** down on him. The titan had little choice beyond rolling to the side to try and avoid the inevitable charge and felt his left arm torn by vicious claws.

Lelantus quickly regained his footing, nursing his injured arm. Golden ichor dripped to the forest floor and his sword lay several yards away. The beast began to charge again, this time with a measured pace having sensed its prey weakening. The titan cursed under his breath, when had he become so weak as to be defeated by an overgrown armadillo? He did his best to find an avenue of escape, but his frantic rolling had left him exposed, bereft of any cover and he knew he would be torn to shreds before he even readied his sword.

Lelantus refused to accept defeat. His eyes sparked with determination and he squared up to his approaching foe. A feral growl escaped his own throat and he moved forward to meet the threat head on. The monster was surprised at its prey's sudden movement and even more surprised when its charge was met and it felt its body fly through the air.

The titan of the air had never been one to put much stock in brute strength, better to leave such things to ones such as Atlas, but he was still an immortal titan and using his substantial strength he threw his opponent into a nearby tree with a loud "CRACK".

The beast regained its footing slowly but seemed relatively unharmed despite the cracks now forming in one of the larger section of its armor. Lelantus was once again worried. At the pique of his strength, this beast would have already been a pile of dust, but he still hadn't fully recovered from the recent war; even if he had, the gods had been victorious, and his power had taken a hit as a result. To make matters worse, he was quickly losing blood and strength in his arm.

The thought of his pregnant sister renewed his determination and had him once again preparing for the beast's charge. The monster seemed all too willing to oblige the unspoken challenge and was almost upon the weary titan before a needle of earth shot through its soft underbelly, puncturing the beast and shattering the already cracked plate. The beast's snarl of outrage was cut short as several of the larger nearby trees fell on it, crushing it under their substantial weight.

Lelantus took several moments to recover from his shock, but eventually the pain in his arm prompted him into action. He said a quick thank you to his sister before gathering his weapons and dashing back to the cave.

He waved aside the worried comments of Leto and quickly made his way to their meagre ambrosia stores and consuming a small square. He sighed in relief as his smaller cuts slowly faded away and the bleeding from the more serious gashes slowed to a steady trickle. He tore off what was left of his sleeve and tied a simple bandage around his wounded arm before returning to his sister's side and recounting the events that lead to his current state.

The stern visage of his sister replaced the concern that had covered her face moments before as she berated him. "You could have been killed because of your arrogance! You would have left me here essentially alone against those who would harm me!" Her tirade was cut short as an image of Asteria appeared beside them.

"Sister! Calm yourself and please remember that you have me to help you as well! You should be glad that he has survived, believe me, no one feels worse about it than him, you know all he wants to do is protect you!" The titaness knew that a portion of her sister's ire was a direct result of her physical condition, but she also knew that deep down Leto had never really grown out of being the big sister lecturing her younger siblings.

Asteria then turned to her crestfallen brother. "We do need you to be careful brother, especially in the near future when Leto will be even more reliant on your care. I will do what I can to help you, but I doubt I'll have enough energy to appear again before the baby is born. You need to rest and recover your strength. If you need anything specific, don't hesitate to ask." She finished her speech with a gesture to what could only be described as a giant stone ear that had formed on the wall of the room.

"I can't say I was expecting that, but it does explain why you were able to hear our conversation before you took that form. What gave you the idea?" Lelantus asked having somewhat recovered from the verbal beating he received from both of his sisters.

"To be honest, your battle with whatever creature that was gave me the inspiration. I could hear you yelling faintly, and when it destroyed that tree, I definitely heard that. Even with the ear it still sounded really muffled. I think the only reason I could understand it was because she was yelling."

Leto blushed briefly in chagrin but looked largely unrepentant otherwise. "Now as I said, I must rest and regain my strength. I have a feeling that if Hera even has a vague idea of when the baby is due I'm going to need all the power I can muster to help defend you when the time comes."

Asteria's disappearance from the cave generated a somewhat awkward silence for the remaining siblings who not to soon afterward also vacated the room. Lelantus muttered something about returning with supper before he left in the direction of the forest, and Leto retreated to her chambers.

Despite the wild nature of the accommodations, she had to give thanks to her siblings for what she had. The titan of the wild and the soul of the island had worked in concert to provide natural lighting to her room via a series of narrow shafts in the ceiling that also provided ventilation. Her bed was a simple rock and earth platform that had been covered in feather-soft moss.

She had a small stone table with a few chairs in the corner, though she currently had little to work on or with. After the third week she had taken up sharpening and repairing her brothers arrows simply for something to do. Lelantus had found a young yew tree that he had formed into a perfectly sized bow for his sister. Leto had then spent hours on end carving intricate details into the bow. Though she certainly was no metalsmith, she had even managed to melt down some of the silver jewelry she had when she had run from Hera and incorporated it into the design.

What she lacked in experience, she made up for in the sheer amount of time and effort. Growing up, Leto had been the most disciplined of the three children and had always been able to spend vast amounts of time focused on a single task. The result, this time, was a beautifully crafted short bow with meticulous scenes of nature and the stars. Silver highlighted the celestial bodies and a good portion of the upper half of the bow was taken up by a grandiose depiction of a crescent moon.

While she knew that her brother could probably summon a bow with his powers, what he had said to her when they had begun their stay together had found a place in her mind. Having spent an untold amount of time working on the bow already, she had to admit that he was right. There was something gratifying about doing things the long way. She doubted that even he could have summoned something with such attention to detail anyway.

With this thought in mind, she seated herself at the table and picked up the carving tools she had been using. Her pregnancy had been sapping her powers and she knew that her child would be extremely powerful as a result but, with a small amount of the excess power she did have, she began to pour her strength into the bow as she worked. Her child would have a fine gift from their mother and a way to defend themselves from harm. If she had a daughter she would make sure no male could ever take advantage of her the way Zeus had with Asteria and Leto.

 **A/N: There it is! The next chapter! To the people who reviewed:**

Blummer: good story you should have one of percys domians space

 **Uhh, I'm not really sure Percy will ever have any domains in this story, but I'll definitely take that into consideration if he does get any.**

xFallen11: So true… Mythology is messed up. Liking the story so far.

 **It honestly makes me wonder how they came up with it all… Thank you! Hopefully you continue to enjoy it.**

Guest : you should make percy god of the earth and space and should make the chapters longer.

 **I'm not a huge fan of OP!Percy. He's going to be strong, but he'll still be a demigod for the foreseeable future. As for making the chapters longer, I would love to, but with my current workload that would mean updating less often. This one is a bit longer than the previous chapters, hopefully that helps!**

 **Thank you for reading thus far and please leave a review to tell me what you think or what you'd like to see in future chapters! The birth of the twins will be next chapter (not that any of the characters know there's more than one child yet). To TheMag1c1an and MaSKedGamer1, Thank you so much for your reviews, I sent you PM's in response, but I'll probably be answering all further reviews at the ends of the chapters.**


	4. Dropping Bows and Foes

**A/N: "I not only use all the brains that I have, but all I can borrow." -Woodrow Wilson.**

 **I do not own the concept or characters that are in this story, just the plot. I'm going to be drawing on both Greek mythology, and the world of Percy Jackson to create the story I want to tell. There are going to be times when this story doesn't line up with one of those sources. That being said, if there's something that particularly bothers or interests you, let me know; it might be something that's crucial to the plot, but I'm always open to suggestions and criticism.**

Lelantus looked up over his bow to the sleeping form of his pregnant sister. As the pregnancy advanced, he found himself spending more and more time as close as possible to his incapacitated sister, ready and willing to lend a hand when needed. Having seen the masterpiece that Leto had created in her bow had prompted him to try and do the same. His competitive nature was at odds with his short attention span, however, and though his bow was also a fine piece of weaponry, it lacked the attention to detail that his sister's possessed.

To distract himself from these differences, he had overlaid a significant portion of his bow with gold. The pictures and engravings of the sun shining on open fields and island settings shimmered brilliantly with the reflective metal. While he would never use such a weapon while hunting because of its conspicuous nature, he had to admit that it was something he had begun to treasure, especially with the connection that it had to his sister's bow.

Leto's body was greatly distended, and Lelantus was certain the birth was swiftly approaching. Despite his efforts to routinely patrol the island, he hadn't had any more confrontations with what he had taken to calling "bearmadillos", though he had found a set of tracks which were over a week old.

Asteria had been quiet for the most part. He did his best to give her regular updates to both Leto's condition as well as what he felt would be necessary to better defend the island and its occupants. What he really missed was the opportunity to have a conversation with his excitable younger sister. He would, of course occasionally spend extended periods of time talking to his island sister, telling her stories of his hunts and discussing his dreams of the future, but these conversations still left him feeling hollow in a way.

Lelantus deeply loved both of his sisters, but Leto had never really been one to talk about hypotheticals. His older sister had a propensity for the physical world. Her imagination rarely extended beyond what she could see or experience. Subjects such as philosophy were beyond her comfort zone and any conversations that broached similar subjects were quickly diverted into more palpable topics.

Gone were the days where he would spend hours upon hours lying in a field ignoring the rest of the world and pondering the more abstract things the world around them had to offer with Asteria. His younger sister had always been curious about the stars and what lay beyond them and this fascination had only been inflamed when she had received her domains.

Though Lelantus preferred to spend the day gazing at the clouds, guessing shapes, soaking in the golden rays of the sun, and feeling the warm breeze tickle his skin, Asteria loved the night. She reveled in the quiet that was only disturbed by the world's nocturnal residents. She would gaze longingly at the stars, trying to find the same shapes as her brother in their arrangement, and often seeing connections that she had to point out to him.

Lelantus thought to himself that he would be willing to spend the entire night fighting sleep to be able to hear his sister tell him about the stars again. His anger at Zeus flared for what seemed like the thousandth time, but it was tinged with sadness. Lelantus knew his strengths and could not deny that even at the height of his power he could not defeat the king of the gods. One of the most important lessons he had learned from his time hunting had been to always assess the situation before acting, and this life skill had kept him alive more times than he could count.

The sadness now overwhelmed the anger fully as he continued to think of his sister. Even if he could somehow defeat Zeus, it wouldn't change what had happened to either of his sisters. His energy was much more wisely allocated to solving those problems himself and moving on. He wondered if his niece would have some way of restoring Asteria's physical body, and resolved to ask Asteria for the best way to contact Hecate the next time his sister made an appearance.

Leto shifting in her sleep drew his attention once again to the present and forced his mind down another line of thinking. Lelantus had been a loner for most of his life. Other than his sisters, he had little desire for companionship. He'd had a few crushes when he was but a young titan, but nothing had come from them, and he had no desire to relive those memories. Having heard Asteria speak with such conviction about her desire for children, and having to listen to Leto speak of her child left him with sort of hollow feeling in his chest.

Upon further reflection, he decided the best thing to do would be to wait and see. He figured if he enjoyed being an uncle, he might try and go for the whole "father" thing, but as far as he was concerned, that was a decision for another millennium. The world was changing, and especially with the newly empowered gods, he knew that this was not exactly ideal conditions for raising children of titans.

Lelantus closed his eyes and thought deeply of his life and his future. His thoughts remained tainted with the desire for the sounding board Asteria had always been to him, and his consciousness slowly drifted away into the realm of sleep.

To say that Asteria was anxious would be a bit of an understatement. She had done her best to ensure the safety and comfort of her sister throughout the pregnancy, but there was only so much one could do as an island. That was the crux of the matter, wasn't it?

Her frustration spiked once again. How had she been so foolish as to get herself into this position! Certainly, she had had a lot on her mind at the time, but on reflection, she could think of a plethora of things she could have done differently.

Lelantus talking to her regularly had been an unexpected blessing. She missed the time they had spent as younger beings under the night sky and the stars - the stars! How she longed to see them again!

Her energy reserves were as high as she could remember them being, and she was prepared to step in and help in any way she could as soon as Leto was in labor, but for now it was a waiting game.

Asteria passed the time by continuing to look to the future. How would she live her life when (she refused to believe her condition was permanent) she had a physical body again. She doubted she would be able to have an immortal body again, the power requirements were astronomical. She hypothesized that she may be able to prevent her mortal body from aging based on her ability to control the island, but she couldn't be sure.

As often happened when she was left to her own thoughts, she lost track of time. She was shocked out of her state of contemplation by the shouting coming from the rock ear she had in the cave. The baby was coming.

"... Asteria I swear if you leave me here alone to deal with this birth as some sort of joke-" The rest of the frantic titan's threat was cut off by Asteria's figure appearing in front of him.

"Where is Leto, brother?"

"She's in her room, I only left her to get your help. Let's hurry."

The siblings shot down the hallway and into the depths of the cave, their steps quickened by the increasing volume of the cries emanating from their destination.

When the pair burst into the room, Leto was already covered in sweat. Her skin had taken on a grayish pallor and her body was racked with pain on a semi-regular basis.

Leto's siblings sprung into action, having practiced the necessary steps to aid in the birth, though both were distinctly uncomfortable and for the most part Asteria could only relay information.

All of the siblings were more than a little nervous, but they also to varying degrees were excited for the child to finally arrive.

* * *

Startling silver eyes stared at the waiting titans, curiosity clearly shining in their depths as the child took its first breaths.

The immortal child was surprisingly developed as she emerged from the womb, reminding Asteria of her own child's birth. Hecate had been born and quickly transitioned to a physical age of around 4 years old, which was considered a good sign development was directly related to the power of the immortal child. Leto's girl looked to be even older, and might have passed for a mortal 7-year-old.

"You shall be called _αρτεμης_ ( _Artemis)_ for you will always be safe with me." The new mother spoke looking upon her child with unbridled love. Lelantus moved forward and touched the child on the forehead, a small glow passing between the two beings.

"I have imparted to you the knowledge of our language and basic things of how the world works, how are you, Artemis?"

The child looked shocked for a moment as its mind began to use the newfound knowledge and process everything around her. "Who are you all? Where am I? Where is my brother?"

Asteria responded to the rapid-fire questions of the godling "Your mother is there, her name is Leto, that is your uncle Lelantus, and I am your aunt Asteria. You are on my island, and I'm afraid I don't know what you mean by brother?"

Artemis looked back at her mother before responding. "My brother has yet to be born, I'm sure we'll see him shortly, though."

It was a "short" 9 days later when the second godling was finally born from the utterly exhausted Leto. The child had golden-blonde hair and soft golden eyes with a bronzed complexion as if he had been under the sun for years rather than seconds. As soon as he had gained his bearings, he immediately found his sister and embraced her before peering around the room protectively.

His mother looked at him with tired, but loving eyes, drinking in the sight of him with pride. "You shall be a strong protector for your sister and our family. You shall be called _απολλυμι_ (Apollo), for you shall destroy those who would harm us."

 **A/N: for ease of use I'm just going to use "Apollo" even though that's not an exact phonetic match**

Lelantus moved forward hesitantly, faltering when Apollo tensed at his approach. Artemis whispered soothing words to her twin causing him to relax, even if he couldn't understand what she was saying and allowed the titan to touch his forehead.

After a brief explanation of what their situation was, the children were ushered out of the room before their mother lost consciousness. Asteria had spent the past 9 days talking with Artemis about the world around them, and the young godling already seemed to be fascinated with the outside world. The titaness couldn't help but pass on her admiration and interest in the night sky to the wondering child, and she knew that her niece would always have a special place in her heart because of the time they had spent staring at the stars and planets.

Artemis had already been given her mother's bow and took great joy in identifying the stars in the sky based on their position on her bow. Admittedly, Asteria had had to correct the placement of some of the celestial bodies when her niece was distracted, but Leto could hardly be blamed for her error.

Lelantus and Asteria had of course alternated between keeping Artemis occupied, and tending to Leto, and had taken no time at all to begin to teach the child about the wild and how to use her new gift. It had been a moment of pride when Artemis had finally hit their makeshift target on the 8th day, displaying a natural aptitude that beguiled her age.

Now that Apollo was finally out in the open, the twins were inseparable. Artemis talked for hours to her younger sibling, telling him of the things she had learned already and smugly promising to defend him with her bow should the need arise.

Apollo took this with a pained expression, expressing his distaste for the idea of him needing her protection with no small amount of jealousy. "I know you're older sis, but I should be the one to protect you! It's my job! That's what mom told me at least…" He trailed off dejectedly.

"Mother told me that I should be a strong woman who had no need of a _male_ to defend me!" Artemis responded. "But aunt Asteria said that it was a brother's duty to protect his sister, no matter the circumstance." she continued thoughtfully.

"Pleeeaaaasseee can I have the bow Artemis? I don't want you to get hurt because I can't defend you." Apollo said with a small pout and outstretched arms.

Artemis was conflicted, she wanted to placate her younger brother, and she honestly wasn't against the idea of him trying to protect her, but she didn't want to seem helpless. She thought it was noble and sweet that Apollo wanted to prevent harm from befalling her, but the thought of relying solely on someone else for her wellbeing was a repugnant thought.

Despite her internal conflict, she handed over her prized possession, softly saying that Apollo could borrow it to practice. Lelantus, having watched the exchange in its entirety decided it was time to interject.

"That is very kind of you Artemis, but perhaps I could help with your dilemma?" the titan said as he approached. The twins gazed at him with curious expressions, gold and silver orbs boring into him. The titan made a show of summoning the bow he had crafted, much to the delight of the two children, before solemnly presenting it to Apollo.

The golden bow was pulled just out of reach, however, as soon as Apollo made a move to grab it. The confused godling looked up at his uncle and was met by a wry grin. "As much as I hate to admit it, you won't always have the liberty of facing foes from a distance. You'll need one of these if you want to be the best guardian you can be, young Apollo."

A short, golden sword appeared in Lelantus' other hand, strain from the power needed to accomplish such a feat evident on his face though he did his best to conceal it from the children.

Apollo took both of his gifts with awe on his face before vowing to do his best to master both to protect his family. Lelantus was warmed by the sense of duty the young god displayed and was looking forward to teaching him everything he knew.

Seeing the look of disappointment on the face of Artemis, Lelantus silently cursed to himself before trying to placate the pouting goddess. "I'm sorry young one, We'll get you a blade soon enough, I'm afraid I don't have the power to summon any more weapons right now though." he said with a grimace to emphasize his last point.

Artemis appeared to be appeased by the offering but still looked a bit put-out. "Why don't we step outside for a bit and you can show your brother what I've taught you?"

The young goddess' eyes lit up with excitement before she practically dragged both Lelantus and Apollo outside. Apollo learned quickly, no doubt encouraged by his desire to protect his family and the embarrassment of being taught something by his sister.

Lelantus could tell that the girl had developed a bit of a superiority complex, which was only inflamed by Apollo's constant attempts to make her happy, but he resolved to let Leto handle the situation, making a note to tell her about it later.

By the 4th day since Apollo had gotten his bow, he had managed to hit the target he was aiming at with at least a little bit of consistency. He certainly wasn't a champion archer, but he displayed a natural aptitude similar to his sister.

Several times throughout the training, Lelantus had had to stop him and heal his bleeding hands. His gentle reminders that Apollo was pushing himself too hard fell on deaf ears and the young godling was back to practicing as soon as Lelantus had finished with his hands.

In celebration of the twins accomplishments, Lelantus decided to take them out on a hunt. After getting permission from Leto who was more than happy for the children to be learning more practical skills, the trio headed off into the forest.

The first hours of the hunt were spent with Lelantus explaining in hushed tones the art of hunting. Since they hadn't begun actively hunting yet, there wasn't a need for the relative silence per se, but he felt it added a sense of importance and seriousness that only served to enhance the experience for his nephew and niece.

The first animal they came across was a beautiful young buck. They spotted him just as they had entered a small clearing. The deer's head was down, drinking from a small stream that gurgled through the center and appeared to be alone.

Lelantus had to restrain Artemis with an arm across her chest to prevent her from rushing into the scene, but the sudden movement of the immortal beings alerted the buck and its head shot up.

The deer's antlers were broader than its shoulders and appeared to be covered in a velvety texture. Whether because of its believed prowess or some sort of mental deficiency, the animal seemed to have no sense of self-preservation and calmly walked towards the still trio.

With an arrow nocked, Lelantus allowed Artemis to approach the massive creature. The young goddess' head barely reached the base of the creature's neck but she fearlessly approached and held out her hand to allow the deer to get her scent.

The buck eyed the young girl for a moment before obliging her and sniffing at her proffered hand. The animal gave a small snort before licking her hand. This caused Artemis to let out a small giggle before surprising the deer by trying to throw her hands around its neck.

She was only partially successful at first as the deer almost immediately raised its head, but after a few seconds, it once again lowered itself to allow the young girl to embrace it.

Lelantus was astounded at his niece's interaction with the deer. Much could be said about the innocence of youth, but he was still surprised at how brazen both the goddess and the deer had been.

Eventually, the deer appeared to have had enough of hug-time and shook the clinging girl off of him before striding past the immortals without a second glance.

Artemis was positively _beaming_. "Did you see that?!" She said in an excited shout-whisper. "What a nice creature! I can't wait to find more animals in the forest."

Lelantus didn't have the heart to remind her that they were currently on a mission of sorts to find and kill said other creatures so instead he went with a small smile before gesturing to the excited goddess that they should continue.

The rest of the day passed rather uneventfully. Artemis whimpered a little bit when Lelantus ended up shooting a small doe, but after a brief conversation she realized the necessity of their actions and hardened her resolve.

"I understand your reasons for not wanting to kill the beasts, young Artemis, and I agree with you."

"You do?" the still teary-eyed girl responded.

"Yes. The wild is my domain, and I care for all of the creatures that dwell in it. However, you must understand that death is a necessary part of life-"

"I thought you said we couldn't die though Uncle Lel? Artemis interrupted.

Lelantus opened and closed his mouth several times before finally replying. "While you are technically correct that we cannot die in the traditional sense of the word, an immortal being can 'fade' from this plane of existence under certain circumstances that are irrelevant for this discussion." The titan said, trying to head off any further questions from the curious youth.

"As I was saying, despite the natural nature of death, you must always have a good reason to kill something, especially another sentient creature. You must promise me Artemis, and you too Apollo" he continued, involving the young god who had been eavesdropping anyway.

"You will both grow to have extraordinary power if you abuse it you are no better than those despicable beings we warn you about."

"Are you saying with great power comes great responsibility?" Apollo said hesitantly.

"Not so young one. Responsibility comes from circumstance. Even the most powerful being is subject to his limitations and surroundings. There can be no responsibility without someone or something to be responsible for."

"So you're saying I can't protect Artemis?" Apollo asked, confusion evident on his face.

"Certainly not Apollo! What I am saying is that your first option should not be violence. It is the way of a fool to rely on strength or power to solve every issue. You do as much as you can to prevent confrontation, but if that confrontation is forced upon you, you strike as fast and as hard as you can." Lelantus admonished the pair with stern features.

"You do whatever it takes to make sure they NEVER have the opportunity to hurt you or your sister again. Whether that is a result of injuries they sustain from your actions or fear of future confrontations, you leave no doubt in their mind that to wish harm on the twins of Leto is to flirt with disaster and pain."

The twins were shocked, open-mouthed at their usually gentle uncle's words. After several moments of silence, Lelantus took in their expressions and gave a somewhat sheepish grin.

"I suppose I'm projecting a millennia of protectiveness, as well as a desire for you both to succeed where I have fallen short. Neither of my sisters would be where they are now if I had chosen to stay with them rather than be alone."

Lelantus was moved from his self-deprecating introspective musing by two small bodies embracing him in a group hug. Tears sprang unbidden to his eyes, but by sheer force of will, he prevented himself from crying.

"It's ok uncle, you did your best I'm sure!" Artemis said quickly.

"Yeah! You're here now, that's what matters uncle!" Apollo added.

The titan returned the embrace with a vengeance and chuckled lightly when he heard the air whoosh out of the godlings' lungs.

"Thank you young ones, now let's get back home before your mother starts to worry."

The three immortal beings began their trek back to the waiting comfort of the cave in silence with Lelantus holding one of the hands of each of the young gods. They were still several miles from their destination when the hairs on the back of Lelantus' neck stood up in warning.

Reflexively, the titan of the wild threw the children several yards in front of him, using the change in momentum to throw himself backward and to the side. Scarcely had his body vacated its original position when a mass of green scales took its place.

Lelantus rolled to his feet before cursing. Before him was a large serpentine creature, nearly 20 feet long from nose to tail covered in thick armored scales. The beast had glowing red eyes that contrasted menacingly with its scales and a maw that would put a dracon to shame.

The creature seemed to be in a slight dilemma as to who it was going to attack first, but its mind was made up by several arrows clacking noisily against its armored side.

Lelantus cursed once again when he realized that his bow had been crushed under what he could only assume was Python, the child of Gaia, and he was left with only his sword. His chest tightened with fear as he gazed toward his hapless charges.

Despite his unfavorable circumstances, Lelantus refused to allow the beast the opportunity to deal harm to his niece and nephew. With a short roar, he drew his sword and charged the distracted beast.

His desperate swing connected solidly with the body of Python but did little more than enrage the beast as he was quickly swept away by its tail. Lelantus flew several yards before his journey came to a sudden stop courtesy of a large oak tree.

The titan was dazed and shook his head to try and remove the spots in his vision to little effect. He heard the rustle of underbrush and blindly lurched to the side where he was rewarded with the crack of his previous resting place being reduced to splinters.

Lelantus was forced to roll to the side as Python lunged again, but the titan was running out of escape routes. His latest movements left him against the base of another tree with the beast too close to avoid.

In desperation, Lelantus used as much power as he could muster to blast the creature away. He saw a form land several yards away and heard a resounding _thump._ As his consciousness slipped away, he could only hope that he had done enough to protect his nephew and niece.

Apollo was shocked when his uncle had thrown him bodily through the air. He was even more surprised when a large green creature crashed through the underbrush. It had a long thin body that seemed to sparkle in the sunlight, unlike anything he had ever seen.

The young god could only watch, petrified as the short battle played out before him. He gasped in shock when Lelantus had growled and struck at the creature only to have his attacks be ineffectual.

He tried to raise his bow, but his fear consumed his mind, and he could only watch as the titan continued to flee from the beast. His hands were shaking uncontrollably, and he could see out of the corner of his eye that Artemis was in a similar state.

His uncle's final blast of energy awakened something deep inside of him. A need to protect. Python rose slowly and began to advance towards the prone form of the titan.

With a fluid and sure movement, Apollo drew and nocked an arrow before taking aim and releasing at the creature's head. His aim was true, and the arrow struck the snakelike creature directly between the eyes.

He watched incredulously as the projectile ricocheted off of the monster's head before lodging into a nearby tree. Though apparently uninjured, Python certainly now had another object that demanded its immediate attention.

Apollo did his best to avoid the coming strike, but his undeveloped muscles and reflexes betrayed him. Searing pain shot through his left shoulder and arm. Though he had managed to avoid death, for the time being, he knew the wound was serious.

He was furious with himself. How could he have let himself be caught so easily? His strength quickly drained from his body even as he tried to regain his bearings.

Ichor flowed freely down his side and he had practically no control over his injured arm. He tried to struggle to his feet, but injured arm collapsed under his weight. His vision began to recede into blackness, and he faintly wondered why he hadn't already been hit again before the answer to his unspoken question reached him in the form of a scream.

Apollo's eyes which had nearly been closed shot open. How could he have forgotten his sister? Using his legs and uninjured arm, he managed to stumble to his feet.

He could see a glint of silver a few dozen feet up in a tree, and he heard the sound of arrows impacting the scales of their foe. Artemis' scream rang out again as the tree she had climbed cracked about ten feet up under the assault of Python.

Apollo rushed towards his now helpless sister, but he knew he could never reach her in time. A bellow of rage and defiance range from his throat as he pushed his legs to pump faster and he raised his sword that was clasped in his right hand in a desperate attempt to distract the creature looming over Artemis.

He watched in horror as Python, apparently having grown tired of being distracted from its meal ignored the screaming godling and struck at the prone form in front of it.

Inches from closing on the goddesses vulnerable flesh, the formidable jaws of Python were stopped and held by fingers of earth. Apollo was initially relieved but redoubled his efforts when he saw cracks beginning to form in the rocky protection.

With a loud _crack_ the rock split under the intense compressive force of the beast, but before they could reach their intended target, the goddess was swept from danger by a blur of golden hair.

Before Python could react to this new development, apollo had climbed a set of earthen stairs that had just appeared before he lept and drove his sword through the beast's eye.

An inhuman shriek emanated from the now writhing creature and the young god was tossed viscously from his perilous hold. He had a perfect view of the creature begin to dissolve as its death throes wound down before he impacted something unforgiving and consciousness left him.

* * *

Lelantus regained consciousness slowly, feeling as if he'd been trampled under a horde of elephants. His senses were fuzzy, but he could hear a somewhat rhythmic sound at the edge of his hearing. It rose and fell in pitch and volume, but he couldn't for the life of him discern its nature or source.

Gingerly he rose to his feet, using the tree by his head as support. A cold dagger of fear pierced his heart as he remembered the chain of events that had lead to his predicament, and he did his best to shake the fog from his mind.

His hearing slowly returned, and he finally recognized with a start, and a small amount of relief that the sound he had heard was sobbing. Following his ears, he picked his way through the site of the battle and found his niece huddled over a still form.

His fear returned with a vengeance and he hurried to the young child's side before examining the source of her grief.

Apollo lay, broken and bloodied in his sister's lap. His eyes were closed, and Lelantus' heart almost stopped before he saw a slight rise in the boy's chest indicating a breath.

"Come away Artemis and let me have a look at him." the titan said gently. The girl lashed out at the sudden noise, not having heard Lelantus approach before realization hit her and she threw herself into his arms sobbing.

"Please help him, uncle! You can't let him die! He doesn't need to die!"

Lelantus did his best to sooth the hysteric Artemis while also taking in the sorry state of her brother. He was covered in small scratches and scrapes, and Lelantus could see several large and wicked looking bruises begin to form on his exposed skin, but what worried him the most was the damage to the boy's arm.

The skin near the shoulder was ragged and torn in a deep gash that couldn't be too far from the bone. Ichor was pouring out at a steady rate and the titan immediately ripped a section of the boys ruined clothing to tie a bandage around the wound, stemming the blood flow as best he could.

With a groan, Lelantus took the injured boy in his arms and tried to find his bearings. Once he was confident in the direction he needed to travel to reach the cave as soon as possible, he nodded to the grief-stricken Artemis who looked ready to fall apart again at any moment and headed off at a measured pace.

By the time the trio reached the cave system, Lelantus was ready to collapse in exhaustion. Sweat and ichor covered his clothes and body, and his muscles screamed in protest of taking even another step.

Artemis had sprinted ahead once they were back in familiar territory, and the frantic Leto had run from the cave and snatched her child from the titans weakened arms before streaking back into the dwelling without a word.

"Don't worry about me, sister. I'll be fine I'm sure." Lelantus said in a sarcastic tone. He crawled until he had passed the threshold of the cave, welcoming the coolness of the shade before embracing unconsciousness once again.

 **A/N: Well that chapter's a bit longer than normal. Please review and let me know what you think, especially concerning the battle scenes as these are the first I've really written.**

 **Music I've been listening to:** _ **Apollo 11**_ **album by Adam young**

 **Response to reviews:**

Blummer - percy should be a god

 **Thanks for the suggestion! I'm not exactly how far this story will go, I have a rough plot outline up until the battle for NY. I may end it there, but if I continue, I will consider eventually making Percy a god. Just know, that is a long,** _ **long**_ **way off.**

TheMag1c1an - I like the addition of Lelantus and the sibling banter it brings to the story. Since everyone else is giving their opinion on Percy I will as well. I think you should keep him mortal or semi immortal and try to keep his power in check. But if you prefer to make him a god then I say again keep his power in check. Reading about completely one sided fights are so boring.

 **I'm glad you appreciate it, it has been fun to write it. I agree with you on the one-sided fights, I'll try to keep power pretty balanced throughout the story.**


	5. God-Napping and Brainwashing

**A/N: Sorry about the delay in update, my senior design workload combined with midterms and a wedding provided little free time to write. I haven't given up on this story!**

Lelantus awoke surrounded by trees, which was strange to him. It's not that the trees themselves were strange, in fact, due to his domain and preference to be in the wild, was more likely than not that he would be waking up in a forested area if a day of his life was picked at random. No, there were two things in particular that were strange about the situation.

Firstly, he had fallen asleep in the cave that was his home, and secondly, the trees formed almost a perfect circle around the prone titan. Suspiciously, there was an obvious gap in the sturdy trunks that formed his prison, barely wide enough for someone with broad shoulders to pass through without turning.

His lips quirked into a slight smile as he noticed that the trees were all aspens, Asteria's personal favorite. After briefly contemplating his options, he rose with a sigh, shaking the remnants of sleep from his body and stretching his limbs.

 _The twins must be involved in this somehow. I can't see my sister putting this all together without letting them in on the fun._ His musings brought another small smile to his lips as he thought fondly of the two troublemakers that he had come to love over the past decades.

Lelantus failed to sense anything of note in his immediate area and decided to play the game set before him. _Let's see how far this goes._ Years of being the target of more pranks than he cared to remember sobered him and his steps became more cautious as he exited the grove.

The circle of trees was only thirty feet across and in no time he had reached the entrance. His confinement continued, his path restricted by a tunnel of more trees interspersed with Valerie Finnis ( _Artemisia ludoviciana_ ) and golden honeysuckle; the colors and scents leaving no doubt that the twins were involved.

At first, he had been skeptical of his sister's ability to summon foliage. Being able to manipulate the earth and rock that composed the island was understandable, it was essentially a part of her now. Asteria had explained the process by which she had created various plants, something about "feeling the life that was a part of her". She had equated it to the deities' abilities to alter their own appearance, but it he was still in the dark as far as understanding the process.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves and as he walked part of his mind was distracted by the dancing shadows and pleasing aromas that surrounded him. After walking for several minutes without a significant change, he began to suspect that they had trapped him in a circle.

A brief glance in either direction failed to alert him of any curvature to his path and so he continued. Hairs began to stand on the back of his neck, and his apprehension grew. _What are they trying to get at? What's the point of all this?_

Distracted by his racing thoughts, and hardly paying attention to what was in front of him due to his ever-shifting gaze, the sharp drop-off in elevation caught him by surprise and only reflexes honed by centuries of practice prevented him from tumbling off the ledge.

Below him was a pool of water, no doubt as cold as the conniving titaness that was his sister could get it, surrounded by a short ledge. Breathing out a small sigh of relief, he was about to turn back the way he came when something caught his attention.

Blackness, foreign from any darkness he had ever seen formed itself into a slim figure that stood looking up at the titan from several yards beyond the pool of water. The form seemed insubstantial, in a constant state, not of decay, but of dissolution. It seemed roughly humanoid but lacked any sort of order. Startling purple eyes captivated him, their swirling depths pulling him in as his heart rate skyrocketed.

After what seemed like a small eternity, but was surely but a moment, the form vanished, and he felt, more than heard an enticing peal of decidedly feminine laughter that pleased his ears in a way he never believed possible. He felt as if he had been bewitched as emotions stronger than he had ever experienced fought for control of his mind.

 _Who, or what was that? Could it have been Hecate? Sure my own niece would not do something like that to me. What am I feeling? What is this strange attraction?_ Blood rushed to his ears and face as he remembered the eyes that had been staring back at him, eyes that held power and mischief, but also intrigue and compassion.

A low _whoosh_ caused him to turn around, just in time to meet the two small feet of his favorite niece. Artemis' kick connected solidly in the surprised titan's stomach, knocking the air from his lungs and forcing him over the edge of the cliff and into the frigid water below.

A thin sheet of ice had formed on the surface of the pool but was quickly demolished by the flailing Lelantus. Sputtering shouts of indignation were overwhelmed by the uproarious laughter of the goddess combined with the hearty chuckles emanating from Apollo who remained out of the titan's field of view.

Despite shivering uncontrollably, and still being more than a little distracted by what he had seen before his unplanned journey, he couldn't help but look fondly at the two menaces. His immortal powers had been almost non-existent since his run in with Python and as a result, he had been forced to train his physical prowess with abandon. The twins, still not having come into their powers as of yet had given everything they had to keep up with the older deity.

Their training had been intense, and despite their young age, they had even been able to hold their own in some of the 2 on one mock fights they had. Apollo had a natural affinity to the sword and wielded it with a skill and precision Lelantus had rarely seen matched. Artemis, on the other hand, preferred the use of dual hunting knives, her small form and incredible speed lending itself to combat more based on technical skill than strength. They had both become masters of archery, and the titan had to admit that it wouldn't be long before they would be able to match him in that particular skill.

The intensity of their training, Apollo due to his will and resolve to protect his family, and Artemis because of her stubborn desire to not have to rely on anyone for protection usually made for a serious atmosphere, and the normally jovial titan was more than happy to indulge the young godlings for a chance of levity.

 _Ones so young should not have to bear such responsibility!_ Lelantus cursed the gods once again for their wicked ways. Truth be told, there had already been more than one occasion when he had _needed_ the twins help. Hera, probably furious at the failed attempts to take Leto's and the children's life, had sent multiple attacks to the island.

Some had been defeated before the small family had a chance to notice by Asteria, mostly the clumsy cyclopes, and other lumbering beasts. Those that had gotten through the island's defenses were crafty and deadly. Snake like creatures who spat acid or flames, small birdlike creatures who were covered in fur that had wicked talons and a piercing cry, even a gargantuan golden lion that had nigh impregnable fur had made an appearance in an attempt to exact revenge for their mistress.

While he was grateful for the aid given to him by his young proteges, and the overprotective uncle in him was ecstatic at how powerful the two were becoming, the mischievous child side of him that had never quite gone away had its heart broken whenever he saw the stern expression that had taken up residence on their faces at times. Faces that were usually so full of joy had lost the innocence after the third attack they had had to endure.

"You've lost your touch _old man_ " Artemis' teasing voice called down to the still shaking titan. "I have to throw you two a bone every once in awhile so you don't give up hope. I would hate to crush your spirit before you even reach your first century _little girl_."

Lelantus realized he may have taken the teasing a little too far when he was forced to avoid an arrow that had been shot from the pouting goddess. Her eyes flashed dangerously for a moment before they were returned to their previous state of sparkling amusement by a burst of laughter emanating from behind Lelantus.

With a slight sense of deja vu, Lelantus turned at the sound of the laughter and another small _whoosh_ as he was once again kicked into the freezing pool. This time, the enraged titan shot out of the water and made a hasty grab for Apollo, who had been reduced to supporting himself on his hands and knees due to laughter.

"Come here you little-" the titan's hands met nothing but air as the god managed to roll away with a small squeak. Lelantus made a mental note to tease the boy about the sound later before continuing his 'enraged' pursuit.

Despite his initial failure, Lelantus was a master of moving through the forest, and it wasn't long before he had captured the squirming god, giving him a well-deserved embrace, drenching his clothes in the process. He was about to throw the hoodlum into the pool for more revenge before a high-pitched battle cry rang out in the quiet forest and he was tackled by a silver blur.

Artemis, clearly not having thought through her battle plan quickly disentangled herself from the still damp males, crinkling her nose at the chilly contact and fretting at her now slightly wet clothes.

Lelantus regained his bearings, still having a light hold on the young god who surprisingly had not yet tried to break free from the hold. Curiosity caused him to hesitate from following through with his earlier intentions to see what had grabbed the young one's interest.

Apollo had stooped down, apparently unaware of the hold Lelantus had on his wrist and had picked up what appeared to be a small piece of parchment. "What is it that you have found Apollo?"

Lelantus took a brief look around before realizing with a jolt that this was the rough location of where he had seen the being with the purple eyes appear earlier. His heart jumped with a strange anticipation. _Maybe it's some sort of note from her._ Not that he knew it was a "her" per se, but he hoped.

Apollo had yet to respond, so Lelantus took the opportunity to position himself to examine the parchment more closely. It seemed old, faded, like it had once been a part of something greater, but had fallen away. Upon closer inspection, the edges themselves seemed to be dissolving in a similar fashion to the being from before, only serving to confirm his suspicion.

Apollo handed the note over to his uncle with a confused expression. "What does it mean uncle Lel?" The titan took his first look at the writing and was taken aback. In a beautiful deep purple color reminiscent of the being's eyes and in flowing but chaotic script the message was displayed.

 _The gods seek what they did not earn_

 _Precious metals have caught their stare_

 _Silver and gold with value immeasurable_

 _Potential sought to add to their rabble_

 _A spy they sent to seek and learn_

 _Must now return to make aware_

 _Chaos descends on those caught unaware_

 _A worthy quarry for the hunter if you dare._

A shock of fear jolted through Lelantus' spine. His immediate reaction was to locate both of the twins and ensure their safety. It didn't take a powerful intellect to realize that the gods, or more probably Hera, were after the children of Leto.

Frustration and despair welled within the panicked titan. What would it take to be left alone by the vindictive deities? Was peace too much to ask for? Certainly, he hadn't exactly been a non-combatant in the war between the gods and titans, but both of his sisters had done nothing wrong. Not to mention the change of pantheons had left most of the minor titans drained of power as their domains were passed on to "more worthy" recipients.

Lelantus cursed under his breath and his fists clenched tightly, a small trickle of ichor dripping onto the ground from where his nails had dug into the soft flesh of his palm. With the loss of a majority of his divine powers, one singular thing had kept him from fading away like a significant number of his titan brethren.

The children now looking at him with unguarded fear in their eyes, seeking his assurance that they were safe. His one purpose was to provide and protect, and he had spent the last decades supplementing his meager supernatural powers with physical discipline and fighting prowess.

Determination solidified on his face as his gaze returned to focus on the very things that kept him sane. "We should get back home to discuss this with your mother and aunt." his voice softened slightly to assuage their fears "I will protect you, no matter what." he embraced them both tightly for a brief moment before leading them back to the cave.

He had felt Artemis stiffen for a second at his reassurance, but she seemed to get over her internal protest before returning the embrace and following her uncle. Apollo's facial expression had morphed to match Lelantus' as best he could. A burst of pride filled Lelantus as he eyes the grim visage of the young god.

These children were his life now and he would give his immortal life to protect them. If it came down to it, Lelantus had little doubt that he would be killed in defense of the young ones. Battle prowess is a poor defense against the powers of an empowered deity.

As the trio moved through the forest at a swift clip, Lelantus' thoughts drifted to the final lines of the note, which had by this time disintegrated into nothingness. Perhaps if he could ensure the safety of the twins for long enough he could hunt the being who he had seen.

A splash of excitement flowed through his veins at the thought of a worthy hunt. Despite his current concerns, he would forever seek the pleasure of the hunt; it was ingrained into his being to prove his worth as a hunter and provider, and if he could help protect his family by hunting… A grim smile graced the titans face as he picked up the pace.

When the group finally arrived at the cave system, a light sheen of sweat covered their bodies and their breath came in quick, controlled gasps. The journey had not been overly strenuous, but it wasn't exactly a walk in the park.

Lelantus was the first to notice the eerie stillness of the place. While Leto wasn't exactly a loud person, and he didn't expect to hear much of anything to indicate her presence under normal circumstances, there seemed to be a tension in the air. An absence or change that seemed almost palpable to the highly trained senses of the hunter.

As they entered the cave, Lelantus' instincts began to scream at him to flee, but they were overwhelmed by the need to ensure the safety of Leto. His arm shot out, startling the twins but preventing them from moving further into the cave. He silently motioned that they should remain while he checked ahead and was met with confusion from Apollo, and mild frustration from Artemis.

The young gods reluctantly took up positions in the entry room that allowed them an easy escape route through the entrance as well as providing them with unobstructed vision of the other doorways. They both readied their bows before nodding to indicate their readiness to their uncle.

An unfamiliar scent assaulted Lelantus' nose as he moved cautiously through the house. The kitchen had the beginnings of a simple meal, a small portion of meat had been neatly diced, and various herbs and spices were laid out in preparation to be added to a pot that had long since boiled off all of its water.

The titan absently removed the pot from the fire, subconsciously trying to save the pot from being damaged despite the stress of the situation. The silence began to press in on him, he could hear the blood roaring through his ears as he strained to the utmost of his ability to hear any sound of danger.

As he made his way toward the living quarters, the unfamiliar scent grew stronger. It was not unpleasant; it reminded him of a home cooked meal and familiarity while somehow stoking his love for his family.

He reached Leto's room and nearly cried out in surprise at the sight that greeted him. His sister was standing just beyond the threshold as if waiting for his arrival. Lelantus thought his heart might have been close to exploding based on how fast and hard it was beating, but he began to calm at the sight of Leto.

"Sister! You startled me! Are you ok? There's something wrong, we need to get out of here before…" He trailed off when he took in the neutral expression on his sister's face. Her eyes seemed partially glazed over and stared through him in a way that made him shiver involuntarily.

Yells and other sounds of struggle forced Lelantus from his examination and he sprinted headlong towards the front of the house without thinking.

The titan burst into the room he had left the twins in and took in the scene at a glance. A blonde woman with striking obsidian eyes that resembled Asteria was positioned near the "ear" that was used to communicate with the estranged titaness, chanting using words that seemed to slip out of his mind shortly after he heard them. Her eyes were glowing and he could feel the power radiating from her still form.

A beautiful woman with dark hair and a regal posture stood speaking quietly to Artemis whose eyes had already begun to glaze over like Leto's had. The woman's hand was at Artemis' temple and the young goddess seemed to be leaning into the contact as if it were the only thing holding her upright.

Apollo was being restrained by an imposing man who was heavily tanned with sea-green eyes and windswept unruly hair. The man looked distinctly uncomfortable at the situation, almost disgusted. However, despite the violent and vocal struggling of the young god, the other man seemed hardly bothered, his grip remained unmoving, as if his limbs were made of iron.

Before Lelantus could move to assist his nephew, a force like a falling tree struck him in the back driving the air from his lungs and causing him to stumble into the room, drawing the attention of the occupants. "Uncle!" Apollo shouted, though his voice was hoarse, and redoubled his efforts to escape the grasp of his captor.

"Silence, _fool_!" the woman next to Artemis said without lowering her arm or breaking her gaze away from the younger girl. "If you want your family to see another day outside of Tartarus you'll cease your struggling and wait your turn."

Fear and panic flashed across Apollo's face before his escape attempts halted and his face took on a look of resignation. Lelantus was jerked to his feet, arms snaking under his arms and around his neck to hold him immobile. Despite the pain in his back and his continued efforts to return as much air as possible to his lungs, he resisted with all his strength until a scent reached his nose.

Leto was the one who was restraining him, he couldn't believe it! From his new vantage point he could see Apollo's eyes widen in recognition, then, after seeing his uncle subtly shake his head, take on a quality that caused Lelantus to almost smile despite himself.

Hera's expression became somewhat strained as she fought a battle of wills with Artemis. Silence permeated the air as Hecate finished her spell and turned with a disgusted expression towards the rest of the room. "I have done as you commanded _Hera_ " the goddess of magic spat. "I will not be pleased if I see you in the next thousand years. In fact, I-" her tirade was cut off as she caught sight of Leto and Lelantus.

"What is the meaning of this Hera? What have you done to my aunt and Uncle?"

Thunder shook the cave and a lightning bolt struck just outside of the entrance. "This is none of your concern _girl_." the king of the gods spoke as he entered and brushed a small bit of ash from his clothes. "Begone before I grow tired of your presence!"

Hecate shot an apologetic and pleading look at her relatives before giving the slightest of bows and flashing away.

"These children are stronger than I anticipated, I can only temporarily alter their minds without your help husband." A stained sounding Hera exclaimed after the silence had returned. Zeus nodded before approaching his wife and laying his hand atop hers.

The three deities glowed briefly before Artemis fell to the ground unconscious.

"NOOO!" Apollo screamed "ARTEMIS! How DARE you hurt my sister?" The young godling began glowing with an intense light. Lelantus could smell the air burning as power continued to pour forth. A startled yelp from the god who had been restraining Apollo rang out before the light suddenly faded away.

When the spots had finally cleared from his vision Lelantus saw his young nephew panting for breath, eyes still glowing brightly and sword drawn, facing the king and queen of the gods. "You will pay for hurting my family! All we wanted is to live in peace! We have done nothing to provoke your ire yet you hunt us like dogs. No more! You shall feel the pain of-"

Lelantus was so enchanted with his nephew's emboldened speech that he didn't even notice the god recovering from being burned by Apollo. Before he could shout a warning, the god ended Apollo's rant with a double fisted overhand strike to the back of the head, dropping the young god to the floor in a heap.

Rather than the anger Lelantus expected in the eyes of the god that had just knocked his nephew unconscious, he saw only pity and concern. "Brother, I will say once again, this does not seem right to me. I will not challenge your authority on this, but I implore you to reconsider your actions. It is not too late to leave these in peace. They are no threat to us." he looked toward Zeus with pleading eyes.

"You are right Poseidon, they are no threat to us" Zeus began, and for a moment Lelantus allowed himself to hope. "for they shall serve Olympus with their lives! Come, Hera, let us be done with this."

As the god and goddess approach the still prone Apollo, Lelantus managed to break free of his sister's grasp. Pulling his dagger from his boot, he sprung into action, plunging the blade into the left shoulder of the king of gods before he could react.

He wrenched the dagger free and was prepared to stab the god in the heart before a blast of cold sea-water knocked him away and onto his back. Zeus grimaced in pain before straightening up and facing Lelantus. Silently the god aimed his bolt at the prone Titan, and with a small smirk fired.

Overwhelming pain filled Lelantus' consciousness and he faded into the blackness.

 **A/N: I know the poem was garbage, it was kinda supposed to be. Brownie points for anyone who can guess the deity that wrote the note. I'll hopefully post another chapter this upcoming weekend with more information. Rate and review, please!**


	6. Perpetuating a Cycle of Frustration?

**A/N: Here's the next chapter. 7500 words! (woo!) Should be getting to Percy hopefully next chapter.**

Pain. Pain was his everything. The whole of his being was encompassed in the feeling like a blanket. The more his senses returned to him, the more pain he felt. It was as if every single one of his nerves had been exposed to a red-hot poker. But the pain was more than physical.

When he had recovered enough to open his eyes, the reality of what had happened crashed down on him in a way that was much worse than the way his body felt. There was no balm to relieve the pain of loss he felt. He had failed them. His reason for living, the things that kept him sane despite the harsh reality of the world. The world seemed dimmer without the presence of the young ones he had raised as if they were his own children.

A sob escaped his lips, and fresh pain rippled through him as his body convulsed in grief. His throat was tight as if he was being constricted by a snake. His breath came in short, jagged gasps and tears streamed down his face. He knew not how long he lay in his broken state. The light changing around him did nothing to knock him from his stupor.

The growing pain of hunger and thirst did not concern him. He welcomed the distraction from his self-loathing. He cursed his immortality that would preserve him despite the lack of nutrients. The fates were truly cruel. He had lost his niece and nephew to a fate that was possibly worse than death, at least for him.

Would they hate him? Would he ever see them again? What could he do? He was one titan. bereft of his divine powers, he stood little chance of standing against the Olympians, and who would support him? Any who would were either in Tartarus or another prison.

His breath left him in a 'whoosh' and his back struck the ceiling of the cave before he landed in a heap near to his previous position. "LELANTUS! ANSWER ME!" The titan opened his eyes and viewed the furious visage of his sister standing over him with her hands on her hips. "What happened? Where are Leto and the twins?" She demanded.

"They are gone, I failed them..." Lelantus replied in a small voice before rolling over again, his face in the dirt, his nostrils filling with the scent of dust and grime. "I wasn't strong enough, I fai-" Another pillar of stone brought his moping to a sudden end and he found himself pinned against the ceiling this time with his sister's image looking up at him with possibly more anger than before.

"Get over yourself and tell me what happened." She spat at him Lelantus was so shocked by her response that he told her all he knew without further complaint.

Asteria's image fell to its knees and sobbed. No tears come from her eyes, a byproduct of the reality of her current manifestation, but she continued to cry for several moments. "Hecate must have done something to disrupt my power, though from what you've said about her reaction, she might not have known who I was." she said after her grief had become more manageable.

"What are we going to do Lel'? We can't just give up on them." A note of desperation began to creep into her voice as grief threatened to overcome the titaness once again. "Calm, sister. We will save them. release me so we can talk about this!" Asteria complied without hesitation, and Lelantus stretched to begin to soothe his aching body.

And so the titans talked. They discussed plans and ideas as soon as the ideas entered their mind. If they were being honest, few, if any, of their plans had even a small chance to succeed, but their quest was driven by desperation and a need to protect what they loved and so they continued.

Hours passed, and Lelantus' voice became hoarse from a combination of strain and lack of moisture and so he listened. Asteria continued to spout ridiculous idea after ridiculous idea and eventually he realized that his sister was doing the best she could to comfort her brother despite her condition.

"Enough, sister." he said softly after she had finished what was possibly the most far-fetched thing he had heard in his immortal life. How she thought they would overcome the Olympians with "Fighting Spirit alone" was beyond him. Asteria's words, despite their somewhat frivolous nature, sparked a memory in him.

It had been early in his training with the twins before they had learned much of anything.

Apollo threw down his sword in exasperation, glaring daggers at his uncle before screaming at his teacher. "This is pointless? how are we supposed to learn how to fight when we are always losing?" Lelantus lowered his sword before giving his nephew a measured stare.

"You must learn to lose before you can be trusted with the knowledge of how to fight. There will come a time when victory will not be the most desirable outcome young one."

"That doesn't make any sense, uncle. Why would I want to lose, ever?" Apollo shot back, his eyebrows rising in disbelief.

"What if victory cost you someone you loved?" The titan replied softly, matching the young god's stare with conviction. "What if you had to sacrifice everything you held dear in order to overcome your adversary? Would you still want to win? Would it be worth it?"

Apollo looked shocked. His eyes lowered to the trampled earth that was their training arena and he thought for several seconds. "I'm not sure I know what you mean Lel'. How could I lose so much and still have won? Isn't winning getting what you want?"

"That would depend on your definition of winning, or what you're trying to win in the first place. What you must learn is that some battles take priority over others. In order to win a war, you may have to lose a few battles. there will be times when you must admit defeat and retreat so that you may fight again under more favorable circumstances."

"What if what I'm fighting for is my family? What if they take you? or Artemis? What do I do if I can't win?" tears formed in the young god's eyes and his words began running together in his hysterics.

"Apollo!" Lelantus shouted, snapping his nephew from his frightened state. "Remember that this lesson is about the priority that you place on battles. There are some battles that you CANNOT lose. there will be times when you cannot see even a sliver of hope that you can save the ones you care about but you NEVER give up. You give everything you have, and everything you can possibly manage besides. If someone were to capture you or your sister I would rescue you. No matter the cost."

Lelantus could see Apollo's eyes begin to burn as he gave his speech. When he had finished, the young god's eyes were filled with determination, the same determination that his future self would see in Apollo's eyes as they began to alter his memories. He couldn't, and wouldn't give up.

His mind's fixation on eyes reminded him of another pair that he had seen before the twins kidnapping and he remembered the note. Perhaps the mysterious note sender would have more information on what could be done to free the children.

Lelantus shared his ideas with Asteria, who had at this point begun to go into silent contemplation. She was intrigued, but also crestfallen at his words. "I understand brother, and I will miss you. please tell me if you find anything out. I will begin to gather my power that I might one day manifest my real physical body again, though it will be a long, long time before that happens if it does at all." She finished, a deep sadness overwhelming her tone.

"I will not abandon you, sister!" Lelantus quickly reassured his sister. "I will do my best to return every chance I get. I know not how long it will take to find this mysterious deity, but I will return at least once a year, and I will add my power to yours to expedite the process of your renewal. I will begin my hunt tomorrow after I have recovered some from my state of weakness."

Asteria looked relieved and her image shot forward to hug her brother, only to be met with disappointment. The two siblings talked about trivial things for several more hours, just enjoying the rare time they were able to spend together before Asteria's form dissipated, and Lelantus went off to find food and drink for his journey.

* * *

Lelantus awoke early from a fitful sleep that had been plagued by nightmares. Waves of grief nearly incapacitated him as soon as he had cleared his mind enough to fully remember what had taken place the day before.

The pervasive silence enrapturing him seemed to scream his failure at him and he quickly stumbled out of the entrance. The beautiful clear day before was nowhere to be seen as dark, angry clouds rolled across the horizon.

Halfway back to the clearing where he had been with Artemis and Apollo, a light drizzle began to fall and he quickened his pace. When he had finally reached his destination shortly over an hour later, he searched frantically for any sort of clue as to where to begin his hunt.

He knew it was an act born of desperation, but if he did nothing he would be consumed by his grief, and madness lay down that path. He had seen too many immortals fade from sadness or apathy to not be wary of letting his emotions get the best of him.

After what seemed like hours of fruitless searching, he let out an exasperated growl. "What am I supposed to do now?" he shouted at the empty space around him, breaking the silence that had descended with the light rain as forest creatures sought shelter from the coming storm.

His outburst was met with nothing more than the angry chattering of a nearby squirrel who had been disturbed by the volume of his outburst. He glared menacingly at the small rodent but was unsurprisingly ignored.

With no real directions to follow, he folded his legs underneath himself and sat in roughly the middle of the small clearing and did his best to clear his mind and extend his senses. Grief and memories from the day before threatened to once again overtake his mind, but he shoved those thoughts aside, intent on his search.

Gradually, his heart rate and breathing slowed. Behind closed lids, at first, there was only blackness and the light patter of rain. As time passed, the sound of rain became a pleasing undertone that no longer warranted his attention and he was able to hear the subtle shifting of the trees and animals around him.

At one point he thought perhaps he could hear another heartbeat nearby, but before he could focus enough to locate its source, it vanished from his senses. As he continued to sink further into his meditative trance, what had been only darkness filling his vision began to be filled with small points of color.

Though there seemed to be no discernable pattern at first, as his vision became filled with the splotches and lines, he realized that they were creating a scene from his memory. Curiosity welled within him, as we watched the invisible painter of his mind's eye create a technicolor masterpiece of a scene he only vaguely remembered.

It had been when he was young, very young in fact, barely past his first decade. The fates had deemed him worthy of a domain, and him being one of the youngest ever to receive one! He had been humbled, and more than a little embarrassed at the ceremony, and was put on guard by the jealous looks some of the other titans shot at him.

His family had been overjoyed, and even the normally stoic Leto had given him a warm, proud smile, even if it only lasted a second. He had stayed on Othrys as long as he thought was necessary to seem polite before he had hastily escaped into the forest where he felt at peace.

He had walked for hours, losing track of time and direction as he lost himself in the depths of his domain. He absently brushed his hands over trees and foliage as he passed, reveling in the feel of nature under his hands. Occasionally, he would stop and close his eyes to listen to the sounds of life around him.

Birds filled the air with their cheery songs, water gurgled and splashed against its banks, and the wind played a soothing melody through the branches of surrounding trees. A smile would grace his face, and his heart would lift even higher as he took in everything he could.

A restless energy filled his body as he moved, and every now and then he would climb into the low branches of a tree to continue his aimless wanderings by jumping from tree to tree. He felt powerful, here in the midst of his domain. He felt in control.

It was in the midst of his wandering that he had come across a strange creature. It was a rather small creature, about the size of a small dog, but he nonetheless approached it cautiously. Despite his feeling of control, he had been taught from a young age the merits of being cautious, especially in unfamiliar circumstances.

The thing seemed to have scaled armor covering its body similar to an armadillo, but had a long prehensile tail, and a snout like an anteater. It was making a sickly mewling and seemed to faintly emit a strange purple light.

It was stumbling through the forest on its hind legs, using its tail for balance, and just a few moments after the titan had first seen it, it collapsed in a heap, weakly rolling itself into a defensive ball before becoming still.

Concern overpowering his initial trepidation, Lelantus rushed forward and scooped the small creature into his arms and channeled his power into it in a desperate attempt to remove whatever was ailing it.

His power flowed from him and his hands glowed brightly. He was young and had not yet reached his potential, but the power he did have was volatile and vibrant. His panic lent him strength and he quickly increased the intensity of his power.

The effort of healing caused him to lose his footing, and almost his consciousness, but it was not enough. To his horror, the animal's condition only seemed to worsen under his influence, and soon its life left it.

Its eyes became dull and glassy, limbs became limp, and its body heat slowly faded. The titan's tentative grasp of the creature slipped, and it rolled off of him and onto the forest floor.

Lelantus had been shocked to his core. All his life he had never encountered a problem with a mortal creature that could not be overcome with divine intervention. The sense of helplessness that had filled him was crippling.

Lelantus was no stranger to death, one of his domains was hunting, but the power to take or give life had always been the domain of the titans to him. He had never seen a being perish without the consent of an immortal, even if it was only them allowing a being to fail due to old age.

Tears sprung to his eyes, and his throat constricted painfully. Why had this happened? How could this have happened? Questions swirled through his mind again and again but the silence surrounding him was the only answer.

He had sat there, without the strength to stand, crying for hours over the corpse of an animal he had only seen living for several moments, but even more so for the pain of the truth he had discovered.

He had been raised to tell the truth and that it was always a good thing, but this truth didn't feel good. It was not comforting to know that there were problems that he could not solve. There was no absolution from his guilt at being too weak to save this poor animal.

He had had control over his domain for less than a week and already he felt as if he was unworthy. If he could not decide the fate of a lowly animal, how could he hope to care for all that was around him?

Asteria had found him then, and had held him for a time. She said nothing, just held her brother who returned the embrace with the strength he had left and fresh sobs wracked his body. When his tears had dried, he had done his best to describe the cause of his grief and his tale had been met with a sad, understanding smile from his sister.

That was the first night they spent together under the stars which she loved so much. Lelantus' mind was still reeling from the shock of revelation, and so Asteria filled the silence with her quiet and gentle voice.

She spoke of the stars, the names she had for them and the invisible shapes they comprised. She talked of the vastness of space, the cold, unforgiving nature of reality outside of their small piece of land, but also the beauty.

Asteria told him stories of how she had sought out Uranus and he had shown her wonderful and baffling things. Light danced in her eyes as she spoke in wonder-filled tones of the things she had seen, and Lelantus was comforted by her happiness.

He watched with amusement as her expression changed through emotion after emotion as she remembered things she had seen and been told. He loved seeing the sparkle in his sister's eye and silently vowed to do everything in his power to see that she never lost herself. It was true, reality could be harsh and unforgiving, but there was beauty in the pain of existence if one took the time to notice.

It was this picture that was painted on the blackness of his mind's eye as he meditated. He saw himself, staring at Asteria with awe and admiration, a fierce protective light in his eye as she stared up into the night sky she loved so much and did her best to care for her brother in his time of trouble.

Eventually, the picture faded to blackness once again, but he remained in his meditative stance. Larger droplets of rain began falling with an increasing tempo, and the sharp winds whipped at his face and clothes, but still he remained. He felt the rain slamming into his exposed skin, stinging briefly before fading into the background of his mind.

After a time of enduring the weather, he felt the slightest of tugs on his senses. At first, his mind dismissed it as noise, but after another moment, he felt it again. It was not a sharp feeling, more like the feeling of standing in the midst of a large, lazy river.

The pull was not insistent, but unchanging. It would be less than useless to pull back, not that there was anything to pull back against in the first place. For a few moments more Lelantus remained seated, taking in the experience of this pull, memorizing its feeling and direction before he slowly opened his eyes and looked.

The rain was still falling, though it was beginning to clear, and in the direction of the pull, he could see patches of open sky. Stars like distant fires burned brightly in the air that seemed somehow cleaner after the moisture of the rain.

Lelantus took one more look around him before he rose stiffly, stretching his sore muscles and began walking in the direction of his quarry. He didn't know where he was going, but he certainly wasn't going to stay here. There was little he could do for Asteria beyond finding the rest of their family, or possibly Hecate to help her regain her physical form and so he would search.

He would hunt for this being who had written the note and had somehow been connected to his childhood memory. He realized that the purple light had been the same, somehow he knew for certain.

* * *

Years passed. Lelantus would spend months traveling across the land before he would lose the pull and be forced to meditate until he found it again. Rarely would it be oriented in the same direction that it had been previously, and each time seemed to take slightly longer to feel the pull.

His days became more and more monotonous, but he refused to slack in his discipline. He would wake with the first light of dawn before consuming whatever food he had left over from the day previous before he would perform his morning strength and dexterity exercises.

Once he had completed his morning routine, he would set off in whatever direction he was being pulled. He had taken to carving as he walked. Through his journeys, he would come across promising limbs or branches that he would use to carve various implements.

At first, he would throw away his creations shortly after completing them. They were crude but functional things, but he had no use for them himself. He went through hundreds of bows before he finally crafted one he felt remotely proud of. It was a medium length bow made of yew that he strung with the fibers of various plants and animal hair he braided together.

He spent the next few weeks gathering short, straight sticks and fashioning his own arrows. Hide from a deer he had managed to shoot was soon formed into a rough quiver to hold his arrows.

He continued to use his creation to hunt for food and used his divine powers as little as possible, planning on donating what little power he did have to his sister whenever he visited her next.

After the first few times that he was forced to change directions, he became more than a little discouraged. He felt as if he was being strung along with false promises. The next time he lost his sense of direction, he refused to move again. Even after he had felt the new pull, he remained in meditation.

He sat, immobile for almost an entire day, waiting. Eventually, his patience was rewarded. A flutter of parchment reached his ears and his eyes snapped open. Before him, slowly floating to the ground was a message.

In the same flowing script as the first message, the note read:

 _Giving up already?_

He scoffed in annoyance and closed his eyes once again, refusing to be goaded into another wild goose chase. His meditation was interrupted again, but this time with a musical laugh.

When his eyes opened this time, they were met with the powerful gaze of two vibrant purple eyes, inches from his face. Lelantus gave a small shout of surprise before falling backward. He rolled into a defensive crouch, but he could see nothing of the being that had been before him.

Another laugh rang out, coming from the direction of the pull, and his knees almost buckled in a sudden fit of weakness at the sound. The titan gasped, and slowly regained his composure.

After his heart rate finally returned to normal, he looked around him cautiously, but he saw nothing more of the source of the laughter. Lelantus collected his belongings that had been displaced in his struggle and set off.

He was still perplexed by his body's reaction to the eyes and laughter of the being he was chasing, but he resumed his hunt with renewed assurance that perhaps he was making progress after all.

He felt significantly weakened for several days after the encounter, and found it almost impossible to retain any semblance of structure to his days. He would wake hours after dawn, and his body would protest at every practiced movement of his workouts. For weeks, his hands trembled whenever he tried to carve anything, and his arrows were often off the mark when he hunted.

Around the time that he had finally recovered his powers was when he first encountered human beings. He had heard of the humans before, but he had yet to meet them in the flesh.

He was walking through a bamboo forest when he heard strange noises coming from some distance in front of him. When he had progressed another few yards, he could faintly make out the shapes through the foliage.

Initially, he was frightened into inactivity and he attempted to remain perfectly still because he thought he had stumbled upon a group of immortals. However, after spending several tense seconds reaching out with his senses, he realized what was in front of him.

Letting out a sigh of relief, he cautiously advanced, curious as to what these humans were doing. There was a large group of them, perhaps 20, all facing a solitary figure. The outlier appeared significantly older than the others but didn't look at all impeded by his age.

The entirety of the group was holding large pieces of wood, frequently taller than they were. With a start, Lelantus realized that they were bows when the one he now thought was perhaps a teacher strung the abnormally tall weapon with a graceful motion which was poorly imitated by the students.

One of the students actually managed to break his bow roughly in half and only narrowly avoided impaling himself with the pieces causing the watching titan to let out a short bark of laughter despite himself.

The assembled humans tensed and all turned towards him, the teacher nocking an arrow before calling out something that Lelantus could not understand. Figuring that he could probably get away if he needed to, and secure in the knowledge that the arrow the man had was most definitely not celestial bronze, the titan revealed himself before slowly approaching the group with raised hands.

Several of the students let out small gasps of surprise when they saw him. At first, he was confused at their exclamation, but soon realized the source of their concern. He was easily a foot taller than the next tallest human, and his hair and eyes were distinctly different from anyone else.

The master continued to speak in a language that Lelantus couldn't understand and some of the students joined in. With what he hoped was a friendly if a little bit confused expression Lelantus spoke. "Is it too much to hope that any of you understand me?"

He received startled and confused looks for his efforts as well as renewed chatter from the students. Lelantus had halted several feet away from the closest human and the human tentatively approached him to get a better look.

Unsure of what to do, and beginning to lose patience, Lelantus reached out and touched the man on the forehead before he could react. The man gasped in pain and fell back, and the titan was faced with an array of arrows.

" _My apologies, perhaps you can understand me now?"_ He spoke in what he hoped was their language. The man he had forcibly taken the information from rose shakily to his feet and reassured his fellows. " _I'm fine, I'm fine, it just startled me, it wasn't that painful."_

It was at this point that the master approached him. " _Who are you, stranger? and what are you doing here? What is it that you did to my student?"_

Lelantus, seeing no reason to deceive the humans, told them of his divine nature, though he gave a false name, and called himself a god on the off chance that he was ever followed or found out.

The humans seemed startled, to say the least. He was pretty sure they didn't quite understand what he was, but they were hospitable nonetheless. He was offered a place to stay with one of the students, and despite the knowledge that he would feel much more comfortable staying in the forest, he accepted for the sake of being polite.

His host, who he later learned was called _Ma Chow_ was a friendly man if a bit brutish. His small house, if it could be called that, was a series of four rooms in a line. The first room was a dual purpose kitchen/meeting room and contained almost all of the furniture in the house.

The second room was a storage room and contained several impressive sets of colorful plated armor that seemed pretty heavy and constricting. There was also a myriad of weapons, primarily spear or pole weapons, but with a smattering of short swords and a few bows.

The third room was where Lelantus slept and was a guest room of sorts that was used for children in other households. It was rather bare, which was fine with him since he was used to sleeping on the ground. The bamboo mat was firm and kept him off of the floor and so he was content.

The final room was Ma Chow's room and was also quite bare. Neither of the house's occupants cared much for luxury, and it showed.

Lelantus eventually learned that the overlarge bows he had seen were a somewhat new development but had several advantages to the more traditional design. Curious, the titan managed to convince the master to let him join the class with a rather impressive display of archery with his small bow.

In exchange, Lelantus was conscripted to help in the fields to grow rice and other food items. It was hard, tedious work, but the titan bore it with indifference. He'd noticed shortly after arriving that the pull had dissipated when he had made contacted the humans, and despite meditating as often as possible, he had yet to regain the trail.

To begin his training with the new style of bow, he was forced to make one for himself Since he was so much taller than any of the mortals, his bow was significantly taller as well. The bows themselves were asymmetrical, the arrows rested about ⅓ of the way from the bottom of the bow.

It was a completely different experience for the titan to try and learn this new way of archery. What frustrated him most was that it was similar enough that his body wanted to instinctively perform in the way he had been training himself to do his entire life, but different enough that such actions resulted in less than acceptable results.

He was forced to slowly and methodically go through the motions of the technique, overriding his instinct at every turn. If his concentration slipped for even a second, he would fail. This intense concentration became a sort of meditation for him and he began to practice it in other areas of his life.

It was fascinating how much better he began to understand things that he had taken for granted before. By focusing on each and every small action involved in a task, he began to notice inefficiencies and principles he was able to apply to other actions to improve their effectiveness.

He spent several years with the humans, mastering the archery technique as well as some of their unique weaponry. He had had to travel for several days to nearby villages to find people who could teach him the bladed weapons, and his host turned out to be a master with the spear and they sparred regularly.

He also spent long hours learning of the human's culture. Though many of the subtleties in etiquette escaped him, he appreciated their sense of honor and hospitality. He had no desire to stay long-term with the mortals, but he figured it wouldn't hurt to know how to interact with them in the future.

Despite his desire to learn, his underlying need to help his family never faded, and he would still meditate whenever possible to try and find where he was to go next. It was a cool winter night when he finally felt the pull again.

Snow had begun to fall in the chill night air, and he had already been meditating since just after dawn. The icy wind nipped at his face and he felt the subtle weight of snow begin to cover his body, but he remained still and contemplative.

He heard the faintest of sounds that he knew was parchment fluttering to the snow-covered ground, but this time he didn't react. He waited for several minutes, hoping the being to appear to him once again, and his patience was rewarded.

There was a crunching of snow, too loud to have been incidental and he slowly opened his eyes. Before him stood a creature more beautiful than any he had seen. The feminine figure had flowing dark hair that seemed to sparkle with fiery highlights and almost reached her waist. It fanned out behind her in a way that vaguely resembled a cape that fluttered in the wind.

Her facial features were hard and immutable, but there was beauty in that strength. Her skin tone seemed to shift, never quite settling on a particular color, but changing in tones indistinguishable from one another if examined seconds apart.

Her eyes were brilliant violet and shone with intelligence and mischief. "Who are you?" Lelantus said in what he had intended to be a firm, commanding tone, but ended up coming out more like a pleading whisper.

The woman before him smiled, a small, radiant smile that caused his heart rate to spike and his knees to weaken before she answered him in a melodious, layered tone that danced around inflections and pitch like a leaf on the wind.

"Perhaps one day you shall know my name, but for now you are not ready." She seemed almost morose at the last part before she continued. "For now, what you need to know is that I can give you answers you need... if you can catch me."

She finished with a coy smile and turned to walk away from the rooted titan. In desperation, Lelantus tried to launch himself at the retreating figure, but stumbled and fell face-first into a small snowbank, overcome with weakness.

It was several weeks before he was able to once again set off on his journey. He thanked his host and the ones who had taught and befriended him and he promised to visit if he was in the area again, though he doubted that would ever happen in their lifetimes.

Over the following centuries, this pattern repeated again and again. He would spend sometimes decades, wandering in isolation before he would come across another human settlement. Sometimes he would arrive in time to assist the frail beings in a trial they were undergoing, and rarely he would learn from the humans.

More often than not, he would end up teaching in some capacity, whether it was weaponry training -his favorite- or more often survival or agricultural skills. Occasionally he would help a struggling village against attacking raiders or bandits. Though he tried to interfere as little as possible, he did his best to protect the innocents.

On one occasion, he joined a troop of marauders in between their raids and learned from them the art of horse archery. The men seemed rather full of themselves, intent on conquering some place called China, but they knew their art better than any he had met, so he endured for the sake of knowledge.

He left the group after learning what he could, leaving behind a bit of poison in the leader's food that would lead to a grisly end. He knew it was underhanded, but if the man had done even half of the things he bragged about, Lelantus felt little remorse.

Every few years, or whenever he could manage it, he would return to Asteria's island to give what aid he could as far as his powers were concerned. Because he hadn't been taking an active role in tending his domain, his power regeneration was weak. He felt it dip even more at some point in time and figured the gods had finally got around to naming one of their number master over his domain.

His claim would always hold primacy, but he was happy to allow the new deity to pick up the slack caused by his quest for answers.

Through his relatively short interactions with the humans, Lelantus learned much of the world. Aside from his more influential masters and mentors, he rarely bothered to remember their names after he had left. He knew they were mortal and any friendliness he shared with them would only be swallowed by the inexorable march of time.

He wasn't rude to the people whom he interacted with, but he was reserved. He didn't miss the stares he often received from some of the females of the species, but he did nothing to encourage their advances, and in some cases was forced to physically remove himself from their presence.

He was somewhat appalled by the social constructs he could see in humanity. For the most part, the fairer sex was relegated to menial tasks and in some cases even bought and sold like possessions.

Certainly, the immortals could be sexist at times, but a woman was respected for more than her appearance or her ability to cook a meal, at least around those he chose to associate with.

On several occasions, he chanced across a son or daughter of one of the gods. He was initially frightened by their aura of power, but careful observation proved to him that they were half-blooded rather than full immortals.

Despite this realization, he was still very wary of the demigods. Lelantus didn't know how often the half-bloods interacted with their divine parents and decided better safe than sorry. From that point on, he refrained from telling anyone his true nature, preferring the anonymity over attracting attention to himself.

During his wandering, he also learned more about the gods. When he learned that Apollo and Artemis had both gained spots on the Olympian council, he was bursting with pride, but also discouraged at the same time.

He was overwhelmed that they had both achieved places of honor, but he knew that his task of getting close to them had become nigh impossible. Not that he was giving up, far from it, but he was discouraged nonetheless.

At the end of each of his short times with the mortals, he would once again face the deity that had slowly become the main star in his dreams, much to his frustration. The interactions between the two slowly increased in duration and proximity.

Though he wouldn't admit it to anyone, the overwhelming weakness that always resulted from any sort of contact with the object of his affection was a small price to pay for the feeling of elation that filled his heart whenever he saw her. Initially, he thought perhaps she was using him to gain power, but he started to notice that she looked weaker as well the longer they spent together and he couldn't bring himself to question her about it in the fear that she would leave.

It became more and more difficult to focus on meditating when he kept getting distracted by thoughts of her, which only served to further delay their interactions. At the end of each of their meetings, he would always ask her for her name. Each time his efforts were rewarded with a small, almost sad-looking smile and her shaking her head before she disappeared once again.

Several centuries after he had first met her, he decided enough was enough and decided to do something brash the next time he met her.

It was early November (as he had learned from the most recent group of humans he had stayed with) and the cool air brought with it the promise of a powerful winter storm. He was situated on a cliff that overlooked the ocean and was surrounded on three sides by thick forest.

She had appeared between him and the dizzying drop, the faint sea mist from the crashing waves below dampening her hair and causing it to sparkle maddeningly in the bright moonlight.

They had spent their time together in typical fashion, talking of things that sparked their interest. Lelantus had long ago decided he wasn't going to hide anything from her, but the stories she told were never personal in nature.

Her stories were captivating. They told of a time gone by and scenarios that seemed too ridiculous to be made up. She was a master of spinning a tale, her inflection and tone drew him in, and the way her eyes sparkled with the emotion of the story she was telling was more than a little distracting.

Despite all of this, he knew very little about her. He had no idea who her parents were, though it was obvious they were also immortal, and her stories rarely had names attached to the characters. He longed to know of her past, and her present for that matter, but she seemed in no hurry to satiate his unspoken desire.

Lelantus, for his part, had told her everything he could think of that was important to him besides the reason for his quest. He didn't know why, but for some reason, he was terrified that if he spoke of it she would leave and he would never see her again. As time went on, and he heard more whisperings of his niece and nephew doing well in their new lives, his quest to help them and restore their memories took a back seat to his need to learn more about the girl in front of him.

He had told this nameless girl about his life, he had bared his soul for her to see who he was, hopeful that perhaps she would reciprocate his growing affection for her. He told her of his family, alternately laughing and crying at points describing his siblings and their relationship to one another and how much they meant to him.

It had been after a particularly emotional story about Asteria that she had given him the small smile that told him it was time for her to leave once again. Almost out of habit, Lelantus asked her for her name, though his words lacked conviction and his nerve failed him.

She once again shook her head before turning to leave. Frustration welled within him, and his earlier resolve to make a change came back to him. Before he could stop himself, he reached out and lightly grabbed her wrist.

His whole body seemed to warm from that single point of contact, and he felt even weaker than before. "Wait." He said softly, "Please, what is your name? I fear my dreams have become filled with visions of your beauty, and I have nothing to call out to the version of you that haunts me." He began tentatively. She remained facing away from him, silent and still. "A wise man once told me that the first step to conquering one's demons is to name them. Not that you're a demon, far more like an angel, though according to some mortals they're the same thing." he rambled on, hoping he hadn't ruined everything and his embarrassment quickly rising to his face causing him to blush furiously.

She turned slowly as his rambling faded into silence, and he couldn't bring his eyes to meet her gaze. He had released her hand when she had refused to respond, and now he stood before her with his hands at his sides and his face downcast, looking off to the side.

"I'm sorry, that was perhaps too forward of me, forgive my rashness, it's just that I have become a bit frustrated with not knowing your name and I know it's petty of me but I felt as if I really needed to know and-" His continued rambling was cut off by a soft brush of lips on his cheek

It was a small thing that couldn't have lasted more than a second, but in that time the titan felt as if he'd been submerged in molten lava and filled with fluttering butterflies at the same time. His eyes widened in shock before he stiffly turned to face the brilliant smile he had come to love more than anything else in the world.

"For now, you may call me Gentry." She said, her smile never leaving her lips "Until next time, Lelantus." Hearing her speak his name caused him to shiver involuntarily, and though he collapsed in utter exhaustion only a few moments after she had flashed away, his mind muddled mind was filled with visions of her radiant smile and he mentally repeated her name over and over again as the darkness of unconsciousness took him. It had been a good day.

 **Well, there it is. I hope it wasn't too boring. What did you think of the bit of romance at the end? Leave a review and let me know! What would you like to see more of?**

 **TheMag1c1an: Thanks for reviewing once again! I hope this lives up to your expectations!**

 **RonnieR15 Thank you so much for leaving a review, even if it was only to say that you were looking forward to the next chapter. It really means a lot to me and inspires me to write more. I hope you like what I've written here.**


	7. A Child is Born

It was a dismal day in New York City. A light mist was falling, the temperature not low enough to form snow, but bitingly cold nonetheless. Many of the mortals milling around sported umbrellas in a variety of colors and shapes. Faces were downturned in an effort to keep the freezing rain from contacting exposed flesh. The sounds of the city were muted, the mortals rushed around wanting to spend as little time as possible in the open air.

Lelantus walked at what he hoped was a pace that wouldn't draw any attention to him, he was still uncomfortable about the overwhelming number of humans surrounding him and was anxious to reach his destination without confrontation. He had not forgotten that his divine looks often caused him to be mistaken for some famous mortal. It hadn't been an issue until the last few hundred years, but it was still exceedingly annoying.

His mind drifted to the isolation of his mountain home in the mountains of Colorado and a small smile graced his face. The first snow should have fallen by now, and he pined for the silence that came with the white blanket of frozen moisture.

He had been living in and around the gods-forsaken city for nearly a year and he was feeling more than a little depressed. Though the oppressive atmosphere and overabundance of mortals were disruptive to his mental faculties, what was really eating away at him was his lack of direction. Literally.

His love had gone away, to where he knew not. The almost constant feeling of his connection to her for the past millennia was gone, and though the pull had never been more than a whisper, the silence of its absence was overwhelming. His thoughts were distracted, his concentration almost entirely on searching for that which he had lost.

The world seemed colored in shades of gray. When he closed his eyes he saw her smile, her face haunted his dreams. He longed to hear the sound of her laughter, to feel the warmth of her embrace.

Of course, he had been separated from her before but this time was different. She had left without informing him first. Even worse, he had awoken from unconsciousness with almost a solid week of time missing from his memories and desperately week. If it hadn't been for his sister's help, he was unsure if he could have recovered.

It had been three months since Gentry had disappeared, and Lelantus was beginning to despair.

The small apartment that he was sharing with his sister came into view and he uttered a sigh of genuine relief. He was overjoyed that his beloved sibling once again had a physical form, and she had been instrumental thus far in staving off his increasing grief and unease.

Lelantus fished around in his pocket for his key before unlocking the door and pushing lightly on the solid wooden frame. The door itself was a simple thing that's only characteristic worth mentioning was the "festive" (atrocious) holiday wreath that Asteria had insisted on buying despite his protests.

The door swung inward with a soft squeak of the hinges and he quickly stepped inside. Once the door was firmly shut once more and the lock in place, a bit of the tension in the titan's shoulders faded away. It wasn't silent, not by a long shot, but it was definitely better.

As he moved through the modest apartment he could hear sounds of pots and pans being moved about coming from the kitchen. Asteria had been absolutely enthralled by modern technology and her child-like antics in the kitchen rarely failed to bring a smile to his face.

He remembered fondly the day his sister had discovered food dye. The end of normal colored food as he knew it. For weeks she had bounced around from color to color and it seemed like he would never see eggs the correct shade ever again. However, as is the case with most of his sister's interests, it eventually faded into the background, only surfacing now with her favorite foods and in her favorite color.

Sure enough, once he had moved far enough into the building to see over the small island that separated the living room from the kitchen area, the smell of freshly baked cookies assaulted his nose, and he could see flashes of sky-blue from around his bustling sibling.

"Something's got you in a particularly fine mood lately sis." Lelantus drawled evenly and Asteria jumped a bit from her crouched over position in front of the oven. "That's got to be the sixth batch of cookies you've made in the past two weeks. Perhaps we need to have another talk about what's considered healthy eating habits?" He finished with a teasing smile.

Asteria recovered from her surprise and looked at her brother with a small pout. Unsurprisingly it had been a long war of attrition on Lelantus' part to convince Asteria that they couldn't have ice-cream and cookies for most every meal. She had been obsessed with sweet things ever since she had regained her physical body and the modern variety was an allure almost too strong for her to overcome.

Asteria's gaze became unfocused for a brief second before a beaming smile overtook her features. "Oh come on Lel'! Live a little, huh? Where's that festive attitude? The mortals are going to figure you out right away if you keep up that glum persona through the holidays!" She said brightly.

"You're right. It would be a shame if we had to leave this _fine_ city." he said, his voice rich with sarcasm.

"Don't worry, brother, I'm sure we could just use the uh, mist? Is that what it's called? To fool the mortals into thinking you're just a futuristic grumpy robot incapable of feeling happiness instead." Asteria replied in almost the same sunny tone.

"Yeah! Then I could murder them with impunity!" Lelantus retorted, imitating her cheery voice as best he could. Asteria shot him an unamused glare but turned back to her baking without dignifying his statement with a response.

These modern mortals were worse than the ancient Greeks with all of their festivals and celebrations. He had been in the city less than three months and he had already lost count of the parades. How they kept track of them was beyond him.

The titan left his sister to her business in the kitchen, retreating to his room to mope about in solitude.

 **A/N: ~A~ = Asteria's perspective, ~L~ = Lelantus ~3~ = 3rd person**

~A~

 _I can't tell him, not yet at least. He's still so sad about his own love life, it would just be rude and heartless to shove something like this on him._ Asteria continued to her silence toward her brother as she finished up her baking, absently touching her barely distended abdomen occasionally.

She couldn't help but smile every time she remembered. _I'm going to have a child!_ her exuberance overflowed and she let out a slightly hysterical giggle. She felt like she might explode with happiness if she didn't tell someone soon.

One of the drawbacks of living an inconspicuous life is not forming very close connections with people. She could count on one hand the number of names she'd bothered to learn since moving into the city almost a year ago. _Maybe Hannah would want to hear about it? Well, of course, she would want to, she can really be an insufferable gossip at times, but should I tell her at all? It's not like I'm going to be staying here much longer anyway. As soon as the child stops draining all of my energy I'll be able to leave to greener pastures._

The necessity of her proximity to the city of the gods had been explained to her by her daughter who had been invaluable to her regaining a body. Due to her connection with both the comet as well as the island, she would most likely never regain her full power in her new body, and the rate at which she recovered strength and power would be slow at best.

For all intents and purposes, she was about as powerful as a demigod from a lesser god, possibly even closer to a legacy. Especially with her repressing her power, it would take intense concentration from another immortal being to see her as anything other than a clear-sighted mortal.

Now with a child growing inside her, she no longer had to repress her power as everything she regained went straight into the formation of the baby. The excess godly energy leaking from above the empire state building was the only reason she was even still able to function without Lelantus or Hecate giving her daily power transfers.

Asteria had been overjoyed when Hecate had been able to contact Lelantus and they had been able to work together to finally restore her body. Hecate had explained that after she had realized that it was Asteria that she had been repressing with her magic all those years ago, Zeus had forced her to swear an oath not to help her family, binding her will with his own power. Thankfully she had been able to avoid getting her memory modified as a result and for some reason that still remained unknown to the goddess of magic, the binding placed by Zeus had dissolved.

Her daughter had explained that it had not simply faded, for it was renewed by her own power, but after a lengthy discussion they had let the matter drop, choosing rather to focus on being grateful for her newfound freedom while retaining a sense of caution about the whole situation.

Asteria sighed when she thought of her daughter. She had tried her best to mend their relationship, but whatever mother-daughter bond that had existed had slowly faded away. They were friendly to be sure, but little more. It pained her heart, but she knew she had no one to blame but herself, and she resolved herself to build up their new friendship in whatever way she could. Perhaps with time…

She turned and fiddled with the small device Lelantus had called a "radio" for a bit, and the room was soon filled with the cacophony of sounds that still amazed her. She still couldn't name any of the songs, but she was starting to recognize one or two to her joy.

Asteria heard the sounds of Lelantus sharpening his weapons coming from the living room and let out a small groan. She really needed to do something about his depressing mood.

"Hey Lel', what do you think about getting a job?"

Lelantus looked up from the small dagger he had been working on and the rough sound that came with drawing the whetstone over the shining blade abruptly cut off. He looked surprised, to say the least.

"What are you talking about? It's not like we need the money or anything. The mortals will give us whatever we want with the snap of a finger, though I do feel a little bad about it now that you bring it up." he replied, a contemplative look taking over his face.

Asteria bit her lip as she thought of the best way to say what she was thinking. She had never exactly been great at dealing with emotions. She was more than willing to share positive things, it brought her great pleasure to make others happy, especially her family. Unfortunately, when it came to negative emotions, she tended to internalize everything and hide it from those around her to spare them the sadness.

She couldn't just sit back and do nothing, though. Her brother was hurting, and really she didn't even know why. Lelantus had mentioned a girl he was interested in, but they rarely, if ever, spoke of romantic matters as evidenced by her continued reluctance to speak of her own pregnancy.

Still unsure how to proceed with comforting her brother, she decided to change topics a bit to buy a little bit of time. "What is she like?" She blurted out and immediately winced. Not exactly the most tactful thing she'd ever done, but no choice now but to grit her teeth and bear with it.

She opened her eyes to see a brief flash of pain across her brother's face before his visage returned to a calm indifference. "She's wonderful." He breathed and his eyes became slightly unfocused.

 _Well, that is EXTREMELY helpful. Truly a modern poet my brother. Never before have I heard something more eloquently explained. None shall ever question the depths of his feelings with such an exhaustive list of reasons for his attraction. Perhaps I should-_

Asteria was interrupted from her internal rant by a loud sigh from her brother. "I suppose that's not a comprehensive explanation." He said and she had to force herself not to roll her eyes. _men…_

"She's beautiful, more so than anyone I've ever met and it goes so much further than her physical appearance. She's mysterious, the more I learn about her the more I feel like I've only scratched the surface of who she really is. She's so… _Real_. She's not just existing. Everything she does seems to have a purpose and she isn't content to just make do with what's been given to her."

He paused to take a breath before looking at his sister with the most serious look she'd ever seen on his face. "When I'm with her, I feel like my life has a purpose. Like my life has this song flowing through it that I've always been able to hear but she's the one playing the instruments. When I'm around her it's like I can really feel the song, I feel alive. I, I love her. I finally found the person I wanted to spend the rest of eternity with." He finished with wonder in his voice and his eyes shimmering with emotion.

"What happened?" Asteria asked hesitantly, and just like that, she could see her brother begin to fall apart. "She didn't." Lelantus replied, his voice cracking and tears beginning to roll down his face.

The man in front of her seemed to collapse in on himself. Asteria watched in despair as he seemed to sink deeper and deeper into his despair. In her desperation, she reached for anything she could possibly find to halt his descent.

"I'm pregnant!" She blurted out. Wincing once again, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. This was not exactly how she had envisioned her brother finding out but hopefully this would distract him from his woes.

Lelantus mechanically raised his head, shock slowly working across his face in waves. She could almost see the gears working in his brain as he tried to process her words through the haze of his deep sadness. It would have elicited a small laugh from her in other circumstances, but as it was she was doing her best to keep the fear and trepidation from showing too clearly on her face.

Apparently, she wasn't doing a sufficient job at hiding her emotions because his first reaction was to pull her gently into his arms, doing his best to comfort her and alleviate her own fears. For several moments the room was filled with a heavy silence, each sibling unsure of what to say.

Finally the silence was broken by Lelantus' deep voice, still somewhat strained with sorrow. "How long? I-is there anything I can do for you?" The fear and uncertainty about the child growing within her that she had been repressing unconsciously came rushing to the surface and she was suddenly overwhelmed.

Asteria grip on Lelantus tightened for a brief moment, taking a modicum of solace from his presence before taking a deep breath and steeled her resolve. "A two months, maybe three, I'm not really sure. It's not like I have a lot of experience with these things." She spoke into her brother's shoulder.

She pulled away for a moment before continuing. "As far as I know there's not much you can do. I'm honestly a little frightened, please just stay with me through this." and with those simple words, Lelantus' earlier desire to return to the isolation of his mountain home faded away. He would not leave his sister alone.

Asteria saw her brother's features harden in resolve, a look of protectiveness took over his face and he once more brought her into his warm embrace. She felt safe and secure in her brother's arms and the warmth of love and acceptance flowed through her and filled her being.

"Of course sis, I'll be here for you. No matter what."

~Line Break~

Apollo was not having a good day. Really, he hadn't had a good year, perhaps even longer. It had all started on an unremarkable day when he felt something shift in the back of his mind, as if a minuscule weight he hadn't known existed was lifted from him.

Being the god of prophecy, he was no stranger to even the smallest of details having far-reaching impact in the world. He had spent the next several weeks distracted by the slowly returning memories and he was more than a little perplexed by them.

They were from thousands of years ago, almost beyond his earliest recollection. Being a god, his memory was excellent, but even still, the passage of millennia had dulled the images he could recall. He saw flashes of faces, similar to that of his mother, but different enough that he knew it was not her.

Small things would remind him of the memories that seemed just beyond his recollection. Whenever he would gaze upon his golden bow, feelings of regret would surface. These feelings seemed somehow centered around either his sister or his latest female conquest.

He no longer felt the same elation after his less than savory interactions with mortals, and every time he saw his sister he felt a keen sense of loss at the state of their current relationship. He tried to approach her to try and resolve or understand his unusual feelings but was immediately turned away with a harsh word and threats of bodily harm.

Not that such things were new from his sister, but it still stung, even more so when he was trying to be serious. He had taken to walking aimlessly through the streets of Olympus during his free time. He was always searching for answers to his unspoken questions.

After a time he grew tired of even the grandiose splendor of the residence of the gods and began to include forays into the mortal realm in his wandering. On this day, his weariness had prevented him from traveling too far and thus he had chosen to walk through central park.

He ignored the various stares from mortals, even the lustful looks of some of the females held little value to him as he traversed the paths, his mind still preoccupied with the mystery of what had happened to him. The path wound through fields and around various trees and other obstacles but he hardly noticed.

As the god of prophecy, Apollo was distinctly unfamiliar and uncomfortable with not understanding what was going on. The feeling that he had forgotten something important was always at the back of his mind and he was a wreck.

Gods could live almost indefinitely without sleep. It wasn't comfortable, but it was possible. As is was, Apollo had almost forgotten the last time he had slept at all. His eyes continued to scan his surroundings, still barely registering anything as his mind continued to churn with unanswered questions.

He was so distracted that he _almost_ missed a familiar face through the crowd. It wasn't just any face, though, and with a shot of adrenaline, he realized that this face was one of the ones that had been haunting his dreams whenever he did have the occasion to sleep.

The burning need for answers gave him unshakable focus as he began to sprint toward the now retreating figure. Despite his urgency, he was still careful not to hurt any mortals, the last thing he needed was Zeus on his case again. Honestly, you accidently burn a _few_ thousand mortals with the sun and the big guy doesn't let you forget for a century.

His footsteps echoed unnaturally loudly against the dry pavement and the surrounding temperature began to rise slowly as he drew closer to his target. His loud pursuit, changing the ambient temperature, or perhaps even his poorly concealed divine aura alerted the retreating figure of Apollo's presence and his head whipped around.

The sun god's headlong sprint faltered as soon as he got a close-up view of the older man's face. Memories flowed through his head almost as intensely as a prophecy and he was brought to his knees with a cry of pain.

Before him was his uncle, Lelantus. The man who had raised him, cared for him, taught him right from wrong and how to defend himself and he had forgotten. Doubt almost immediately flashed through his mind, he was no stranger to mind magic, and it was possible that he was being manipulated. The look on his uncle's face soon removed any doubt he had.

The face before him morphed into surprise, recognition, and then a deep sadness before he turned away and prepared to run. "Wait! Uncle! Don't leave me please!" Apollo gasped out through his pain, his vision blurring to the point of obscuring most of the details he could make out.

The blur that was his uncle stopped his flight and slowly turned toward him. A voice that seemed intimately familiar to him, yet foreign at the same time spoke to him, and almost immediately the pressure in his head lessened.

~L~

"Apollo? What do you remember of me?"

My mind was racing, the urge to fight or flee, to escape from or end this threat almost overwhelming me. Is it possible that Hera and Zeus' spell has failed? Retaining the small head start I had, I waited for my nephew to respond.

My hand instinctively went to the dagger I had concealed at my waist, but I refrained from drawing. My words seemed to have had an effect on the god, as slowly he uncurled from the fetal position and collected himself.

His eyes found mine, and I relaxed despite myself. In the depths of his eyes, I could see remorse, pain, and frustration. I dared hope that perhaps some good would come from my time in New York after all.

"Uncle, where have you been? Why didn't I remember you?" Apollo spoke, a hint of desperation coloring his tone. A bittersweet smile spread across my face. This would be a long, hard conversation, but hopefully, it would end well.

"Come with me Apollo, I'll explain everything, but I'm kind of in a hurry at the moment. Your Aunt Asteria is pregnant and is due any time now." I gave him a hand up before turning and swiftly striding towards our apartment.

Along the way, I asked Apollo about the current state of things. He still seemed a bit frazzled from the recent happenings, but quickly sobered up when it came to telling me about the current "great prophecy" that had the gods all in a tizzy.

I was mildly surprised, but not really worried. It bothered me little that the arrogant gods might get what was coming to them. Through thousands of years of reflection, I realized that the gods' rule over the world had been preferable than that of the titans, if only from an objective standpoint.

Mortals were treated far and away better than before, but unfortunately, there weren't much more pleasant things to say about the way the gods had been ruling. From what I had heard and experienced, and what Apollo inadvertently confirmed in his ramblings on the goings on of the olympian council, not all of the gods were corrupt, just the ones that seemed to matter.

Hades, still bitter over his lot in life, mostly kept to himself but didn't hesitate to spite his brothers in any way possible. His favorite pastime until recently seemed to have been tracking down the demigod children of his brothers and sending the most vicious denizens of the underworld to destroy them. He was a caring father but had little esteem for anyone not in his family.

Zeus, as arrogant as they come, with a seeming inability to keep it in his pants as well as a need to remind others of his superiority at every turn was slowly but steadily turning all of the minor gods and goddesses away from him with his callous attitude towards those he thought was lesser. Not that he noticed the changing tides of opinion, too caught up in his own ego to care.

Poseidon was somewhat of an oddity. For the most part, he was a fair ruler and kept a level head, though like the rest of the gods he had a past riddled with death and destruction. The sea god's main failing was in fact inaction against the tyranny his brother Zeus was facilitating. Poseidon was loyal to a fault and was very reluctant to go against his family in any capacity. If Apollo was right, he wasn't content with the way things were going, but he still refused to do anything about it.

I understand caring about family, but there comes a point when inaction is the worst thing you can do for another person. It's unacceptable to allow confrontation to scare you away from loving your family enough to show them the error of their ways.

Athena was perhaps the olympian I feared the most. If it came down to a one-on-one fight, I was confident that I could hold my own against the best fighters they had to offer, but if I made an enemy of Athena there is no telling what kind of mess she could cook up to deal with me.

Head-on fighters like Ares I could cope with. They may be stronger, but I had spent millennia perfecting my technique and form. As long as they didn't use their divine powers, I wasn't worried.

Athena's wisdom was something I would be very hard-pressed to match, however. It seems that many, especially the Romans, forget her domain over battle. What little I had heard in my wanderings left little doubt in my mind that not only could the goddess come up with a brilliant battle strategy, but she was skilled enough to enact it herself if the need arose.

Dionysus was a joke, pure and simple, and there seemed little reason beyond his relation to Zeus as to why he was on the council in the first place. The god of wine and madness was not intimidating in either skill or wit.

For that matter, I'm not quite sure why Demeter is on the council either. The fact that Hestia wasn't on the council was evidence enough for me that positions were not merit based.

Then, of course, there was the olympian I was most interested in learning more about, present company aside. I could tell Apollo was uncomfortable talking about my niece, but before I could really press for more details, we had arrived at our destination.

I opened the door, sending Apollo a significant look before entering first. "Sister, you'll never guess who I ran into while I was out!" I called into the apartment.

"Was it a traveling yarn salesman? I think you're down to your last few bundles." The sarcastic reply came from somewhere deeper in the home.

"Crocheting is cathartic for me! You know you appreciate the scarf and gloves I've made for you, and I'm sure the baby will too!" I shot back, somewhat embarrassed. I had tried a plethora of things to try and get my mind off of my troubles, working with my hands had always calmed me down. Apollo shot me an amused look, arching his eyebrow, but remaining silent as to not spoil the surprise.

He had been pleasantly surprised when he learned his aunt actually had a physical body, and I had given him a brief explanation of how it had come about as well as a short overview of my life and travels. I had intentionally left out anything about Gentry, still not really wanting to talk about it.

We continued to walk toward the kitchen area, our shoes hardly making a sound across the smooth tile. Apollo was looking around curiously at our sparse furnishings. During our stay here we had made a token effort to make the space feel more homey, but with my dismal mood and Asteria's pregnancy, the place still looked a bit bare.

"If I have a girl, perhaps you can teach her how to, as well as how to cook and clean, make her a proper housewife. " Asteria called out as she turned a corner ahead of us and halted, her eyes widening in shock and the small plate she had been holding crashing to the floor.

"Lord Apollo, what are you doing here?" She asked, somewhat frightened by the presence of the god and shooting me furtive glances. "It's alright, sis, he remembers us." I replied in an attempt to allay her fears.

As if to prove my point, Apollo slowly moved forward and gently embraced his aunt before bending down and beginning to pick up the pieces of the broken dish. "It's good to see you again, aunt Asteria, and even better to be actually able to feel you." He spoke in a quiet voice. "No dice on the baby being a girl, though." He continued with a smile, though it appeared somewhat strained.

"Apollo," I began "What's going on? What's the matter?"

"It's nothing uncle." he responded, turning his back to Asteria and giving me a look that said we'd talk about it later "There's nothing wrong with the child, I just scanned her and found out its gender. It's a healthy baby, and you should be due any day now." He finished, turning back to Asteria, any previous nervousness absent from his face.

Asteria seemed not to notice his previous apprehension, and her face lit up with the news. "Well, that's one mystery solved! Now I just need to narrow down the name choices!" She said, a beaming smile on her face. Her eyes became unfocused for a few seconds before she snapped back to the present and looked at Apollo once more. "But that's something I can worry about later. Please, come in and take a seat! Can I get you anything to eat or drink?"

At the mention of refreshments, Apollo's face seemed to light up like a small child, reminding me very strongly of the days I had spent raising him and his sister. The plate remnants in his hand disappeared in a small flash and he eagerly took a seat at the kitchen table.

"I would love some coffee, and I'd take any snacks you'd be willing to throw my way." He replied with a bright, toothy smile.

"As a matter of fact," Asteria said somewhat waddling back into the kitchen behind him. "I just finished up a batch of cookies." She retrieved a small pan from the oven and placed it on a hot-pad on the table.

Almost without hesitation, the god grabbed one of the warm cookies and popped it into his mouth. "Mmm! These are great aunt Asteria!" He said around a mouthful of cookie as he reached for several more. "But why are they blue?"

* * *

After the entirety of the cookies had been consumed, mostly by Apollo, Asteria had begged off for a nap, and Apollo and I moved to the living room. I sat in my favorite chair after carefully setting aside my yarn and needles that I left there and Apollo lounged on the faux leather couch.

We talked about trivial things for several minutes until we were reasonably certain Asteria had fallen asleep before I locked eyes with Apollo, staring at him expectantly. Seeing my look, he sat up straight trying to compose himself.

He let out a long sigh and looked away from me. "Who's the baby's father?" He asked.

"Some sailor I think. Asteria said she met him on some beach. He was out of the picture by the time I knew about what had happened so I never met the guy. Why do you ask?"

At this, Apollo went white. "Do you, uh, remember his name at all? It could be important." he asked, stumbling a bit over his words.

"I don't." I said leaning in. "What's going on Apollo?" There was a tense silence for several moments, the only sound in the room was the ticking of the large wooden clock tucked away in the corner.

"The baby's… special." He said hesitantly.

"Like he's not a human? We knew that already Apollo. There haven't been a lot of demi-titans, but they're not unheard of." I replied, hopeful that was the extent of our problems. Of course, it wasn't.

"I knew that" He snapped angrily. "It's more, though. That child is more divine than human, I sensed it."

The ticking clock seemed almost deafening. My mind was in turmoil at the possible implications. "What does it mean? Are you saying it's a monster or...?" I trailed off, too anxious to really finish my thought.

Sighing once again, Apollo looked down to his clasped hands. "There are a few possibilities. Option one, I'm wrong about what I felt in the child and we have nothing to worry about." His tone of voice made it very clear that this was easily the least likely option.

"Option two, the sailor, whoever he was, is either a demigod or a legacy of one of the gods. This would be pretty dangerous. While it's not against the ancient laws to have such a child, he would most likely have a very strong scent that would attract monsters, and most gods who came across such a being would not hesitate to exterminate it, especially if they knew it came from a titan."

Despite the dire nature of the described situation, I could see that Apollo was hopeful this was the case barring the first option wasn't true. Despite my apprehension, I asked Apollo. "What of the third option?"

The silence was longer this time as Apollo chose his words carefully. "From what you've told me of how Asteria got her body back, and what I've felt from her today, it's very possible that she wasn't fully divine when the child was conceived. Even now I'm not sure her body isn't at least a little mortal. Historically, deities that have had their powers stripped from them, even temporarily, have children who are essentially legacies."

"You mean to tell me that this guy could have been a god?" I asked incredulously. "Are you serious? What would that mean?"

Apollo once again seemed hesitant to answer. "Well, for most gods, it wouldn't be all that different from option number 2…"

"And if it's not one of those gods?" I pressed.

"Well, you remember the great prophecy I told you about, yeah? If it was one of the big three, well let's just say that would not be ideal." He said with a grimace.

Several days later, the child was born. Apollo assisted with the birthing process, and there were no complications. The young boy cried very little and after several minutes of adjusting to the new environment, slowly opened his eyes.

Staring back at me from the arms of my now exhausted sister was a pair of beautiful sea-green eyes, the likes of which I had only seen once before. I knew I would fight to my last to protect this child from the dangers of this world, but I couldn't help but feel a sense of dread as I looked into the same eyes that had stared at me millennia ago from the face of Apollo's captor.

The god and I shared a look, understanding and resigned acknowledgment passed between us before we put on a brave face for the mother of the child. She need not be burdened with the truth just yet.

 **Whew. Sorry the chapter is late and it may be a little rough, the last month of the semester was hectic, to say the least. I'll do my best to keep up weekly updates, though they may be shorter than this one. FINALLY Percy is here! I can't wait to really get going in this story. The next few chapters should be wayyy more exciting. I'm also going to be posting at least 2 other stories in the next week or so so be looking out for those. Thanks for your patience, please let me know what you think in a review!**

 **~Deus Vult Lumine**


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